The Jerusalem District Court has upheld a five-year suspension of gynecologist Guy Rofe’s medical license, rejecting his appeal to reduce or cancel the disciplinary sanction. The decision, announced by the Health Ministry on Tuesday, confirms findings that Rofe exploited his role as a physician to pursue intimate relationships with two patients while mixing medical consultations with inappropriate sexual communications.
The court ruling detailed instances where Rofe sent messages containing sexual content alongside medical advice. One patient, a 19-year-old soldier treated during his reserve military service, received messages including the statement, “I will examine you as a gynecologist and as a lover.” With the other patient, Rofe interwove discussions of clinical matters such as blood tests and contraception with comments on her appearance and his sexual fantasies. During a medical examination, he reportedly told her, “Maybe don’t get dressed, I don’t think there’s any need,” while placing a hand on her knees.
In addition to these allegations, the court upheld findings that Rofe withheld medical records from investigators probing his conduct and continued to advertise himself online as an actively practicing gynecologist despite the suspension. The disciplinary complaint, filed in September 2025, cited four main charges: inappropriate conduct toward two patients identified as “A” and “D,” refusal to provide medical records for five patients, and unlawful advertising during his license suspension.
Retired judge Amnon Straschnov, authorized by the health minister to oversee disciplinary matters, adopted the committee’s findings against Rofe on all counts except one concerning withheld WhatsApp messages. While the disciplinary panel’s majority recommended a 3½-year suspension, and a minority advocated for at least 10 years or permanent revocation, Straschnov imposed the five-year ban citing significant harm to public trust and persistent noncompliance with oversight.
Rofe argued that he was denied a fair hearing due to his absence from disciplinary sessions, which he attributed to illness and family commitments. The court, however, found that he missed multiple hearings without submitting a written defense and failed to engage in scheduling efforts made by the committee. Judge Nimrod Flax wrote that a physician who deliberately avoids proceedings cannot later claim unfair treatment.
On the merits, Rofe disputed the existence of a special patient relationship in one case, pointing to the withdrawal of a relevant criminal complaint and a closed investigation dating back to 2018. In the other case, he contended that the patient initiated sexual conversations, that no physical contact occurred, and that no emotional harm resulted. The court dismissed these arguments, citing a “continuing and systematic pattern of conduct” breaching professional boundaries and ethical standards.
Rofe also maintained he was legally entitled to withhold medical records on self-incrimination grounds, asserting that investigators already possessed sufficient information and that his refusal caused no harm. The court disagreed, emphasizing that medical records are statutory documents necessary for oversight and that withholding them obstructed proper complaint investigations. Three patients’ records remain undisclosed.
Regarding Rofe’s continued advertising, the court held that representing himself as an active practitioner during suspension misled the public regardless of whether he actually treated patients. The judge underscored that Rofe’s conduct following explicit rulings “casts a heavy shadow over his fitness to work in a professional field governed by ethical rules.”
The Health Ministry described the ruling on medical records and self-incrimination as a precedent in Israel and reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing the suspension and zero tolerance for patient-harming behavior or actions that undermine public trust.
Separately, Rofe faces criminal prosecution on charges of rape by deception and indecent acts by deception related to another soldier treated under his care. Those charges remain pending and are distinct from the disciplinary case underpinning the suspension, which took effect on November 29, 2024. The five-year suspension remains valid regardless of the outcome of the criminal trial.