Patricia Hewitt's comments about Muslim GPs breaching confidentiality are to be condemned.

While the Department of Health is busily covering Ms Hewitt's back by clarifying the exact nature of her comments, namely that she did not actually say that some Muslim GPs were breaching patient confidentiality but rather simply implied it by stating that some Muslim women fear their Muslim GP will disclose information, the end result is still the same. In her decision to separate out Muslim GPs as a special case in a problem that is actually prevalent across the board where GPs are concerned, she has pointed the finger of suspicion at all Muslim male GPs thus undermining their credibility.