Mohammad Amin Souraki Azad: AHPRA ban for doc accused of sexual assault, adopt patient’s child, hitting wife

A Rockingham-based doctor has been banned from practising indefinitely after he tried to adopt a patient’s child, made rape jokes, touched a nurse’s breasts, and admitted to perpetrating domestic violence. Mohammad Amin Souraki Azad, known as Darius Azad, obtained his medical degree in Iran in 2012 before working at Jupiter Health Warnbro, Rockingham Maternity and Family Practice, and Rockingham GP. Dr Azad’s authority to practise medicine was dependent on working under a supervisor approved by the medical board. In 2023, because of Dr Azad’s conduct, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency suspended his registration. Based on Dr Azad’s conduct, AHPRA believed he posed a serious risk to patients and it was necessary to take immediate action to protect public health and safety. This year, Dr Azad appealed against the decision but the medical authority maintained his registration should be suspended indefinitely. Findings released by the State Administrative Tribunal document Dr Azad’s chequered work history, erratic behaviour and bizarre interactions with staff and patients. The tribunal found Dr Azad had mental health issues requiring proper assessment and management. ‘He offered my husband and I money so he could buy our son’ While working at Rockingham Maternity and Family Practice, court documents reveal Dr Azad became close to a patient and her family. The mother of eight suffered from bipolar disorder and her child born on August 26, 2021 came to live with Dr Azad and his wife for five months until May 2022. During Dr Azad’s relationship with this patient, he abused her for talking to other doctors, telling her “you better not be speaking to these people about your son’s issues and keep your mouth shut”. He also asked her multiple times about adopting her child, and on one occasion he said he was getting paperwork written up. “I looked at him confused asking ‘what paperwork?’. he responded with ‘adoption papers for my son [Patient B] born the 26/08/2021 (9 months old at the time), I want to adopt your son’,” the patient claimed. “With that I said ‘I’m not signing any paperwork for my son and certainly not adoption papers’. On another occasion, the patient claimed Dr Azad offered the patient and her husband money “so he could buy our son from us”. In a text message, Dr Azad accused the patient of neglecting her children, saying she failed to vaccinate them. “As your family doctor and according to my duty of care, as well as due to my love towards all children especially those 8 angels, I have done everything to help with their welfare,” Dr Azad wrote. “But as a doctor who is passionate to provide care to his patients, now I am severely concerned about your poor and reckless manner of providing care for your children, due to what I have observed over the past few months. “I need to remind you that your children are not your hostages to keep them captive under your control and to use them to get some incentives, government benefits and special attentions. These are precious little ones that deserved to be under constant and tender care.” Dr Azad reported the patient to the Department of Communities, and called police to conduct welfare checks on the child. The patient also claimed Dr Azad made multiple sexually inappropriate comments. A nurse at Rockingham Maternity and Family Practice said she had to explain to Dr Azad that “we don’t say things like that” after he told the patient she had a good vagina and anus. The patient, who was a sexual molestation victim, also claimed Dr Azad said to her: “I don’t blame him, I would rape you too”. Once Dr Azad reported the patient to the DOC, their therapeutic relationship came to an end. Terminated from Rockingham Maternity and Family Practice Dr Azad was fired from the practice in November 2022 but continued to access patient files remotely from his personal computer. His former colleague Dr Ross Jose told the tribunal a distressed patient, whose partner took their life the year before, contacted him in December saying Dr Azad called her at home. “Darius asked her personal questions such as did she have a boyfriend etc,” he claimed. Dr Azad accessed the notes Dr Jose recorded about the interaction, and took legal action against him claiming defamation. “Darius has crossed a number of boundaries by continuing to have remote access illegally after his employment was terminated and to then contact many patients to support him and, in this case, call unsolicited and then threaten a young woman with a baby who is still grieving, which is disgraceful conduct,” Dr Jose told the tribunal. In 2023, AHPRA received a notification claiming Dr Azad made inappropriate sexual comments to his nurse at Rockingham Maternity and touched her breasts. Dr Azad began threatening the nurse with defamation, saying he would commence legal proceedings against her. Allegations against AHPRA Dr Azad began a bizarre campaign against the regulator in April 2023. He called it a “criminal organisation”, writing the medical board was: “technically the Public Enemy number one in this country!”. On another occasion he referred to the sexual assault allegations against him, writing: “Maybe AHPRA is now using some new technologies, such as Satellite Guided Breast Gropometer to detect any act of breast groping.” Admitted to hitting his wife In letters to the tribunal in November 2023, Dr Azad recounted two occasions when he had struck his wife. According to the tribunal, Dr Azad was charged with assault but pleaded not guilty, saying he was “provoked”. Findings The tribunal described Dr Azad as a “doctor in crisis whose conduct has demonstrated a lack of understanding of important ethical principles that guide the practice of medicine”. It found Dr Azad’s registration must be suspended to maintain the public’s confidence in the medical profession. Dr Azad has not had an appropriate supervisor since April 17, 2023, meaning the tribunal found it had to take immediate action in the interests of public safety. Today, Dr Azad lists himself as the director of ADKWA medical, a consulting agency in Rockingham since 2021.