A PAKISTANI doctor who was abused on the street of Bantry has reported the matter to gardaí.

The 42-year-old GP, who asked not to be identified, is a general practice trainee with the HSE South West who has been working at a medical centre in Bantry since last July, and is due to return to his training base in Tralee when his year is up.

He described how, while on a break from work at 1.30pm on a Friday, he stepped out of a shop on Main Street when he felt something like a slap on the back of his head.

The doctor, whose application for citizenship is currently being processed, said his initial reaction was one of shock even after learning that it was liquid that was thrown at his head and not an object, or the force of someone’s hand.

When he turned around, he said he was confronted by 10 or 12 teenage boys of secondary school age and they jeered at him even after he told them that he was working locally as a GP.

He walked away to avoid any possible physical confrontation.

The GP said: ‘This was extremely disrespectful and unacceptable behaviour.’

He warned that if it isn’t called out, it could escalate to throwing stones, or targeting tourists from different ethnic backgrounds. ​

As an alumnus of Cornell University, New York, and Louisiana State University, the GP explained that he has a critical skills work permit and has been working with the HSE in Ireland for the last six years.

He said they can be posted anywhere to serve any community and given the dire shortage of GPs in rural areas, he said behaviour like this is detrimental to the success of the HSE scheme.

He said what happened to him has severely damaged his confidence as a GP.

‘Local people confide in me when they come for a check-up and this has affected my rapport with them,’ he added.

The Southern Star contacted the gardaí for comment.