A paediatrician with ties to southwestern Ontario has been punished after being found guilty of improperly using patient records.
On Wednesday, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) announced that it had suspended Dr. Omar Afandi from practicing for eight months, effective on Thursday.
The tribunal that oversees allegations of misconduct against Ontario doctors also issued a reprimand.
"You exploited and abused your position of trust by accessing the personal health information of approximately 146 patients between April 18 and May 7, 2024," read the reprimand obtained by WindsorNewsToday.ca. "Not only did you access this personal health information, you also transferred it to your personal cellphone and used it to contact patients for the purposes of soliciting clinical work that was not covered by OHIP, for your own financial gain. This was premeditated conduct."
The two hospital systems reported that Afandi misused his privileges to access shared electronic records for the purpose of obtaining patient contact information and soliciting circumcision services to the parents of baby boys through his private clinic, WE Kidz.
Afandi was fined a total of $12,500 in September 2025 by Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner for breaching patient records at Windsor Regional Hospital and the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance. He was also ordered at the time to destroy any records he improperly obtained. The clinic was ordered to undergo changes in its privacy procedures and require all management and staff to participate in training.
The reprimand also took note of Afandi's efforts to accept responsibility for his conduct.
"We acknowledge your admission of having engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct and are encouraged by the rehabilitative efforts you have undergone by voluntarily engaging in ethics instruction," read the reprimand.
A record of Afandi's penalty is available publicly on the official CPSO website.
-with files from Maureen Revait
