Detectives seek out more potential victims of Carmichael doctor accused of sexual battery
SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office is asking more possible victims of Dr. Rachandeep Singh to come forward.
Singh is facing charges of sexual assault. Meanwhile, his California State Medical Board license is still in good standing, leading patient advocates to call for reform.
The sheriff's office reported that Singh touched one of his employees sexually, against her will, inside the Riverpointe Care Facility in Carmichael where Singh was the medical director. The alleged attack was in April. Singh was arrested over the weekend.
Riverpoint administrator Mark Ocampo issued a statement that reads, in part:
"The facility's leadership is aware of the arrest of Dr. Rachandeep Singh, and we are fully cooperating during this ongoing investigation."
Singh was removed from his position after the April incident.
The California State Medical Board still shows no mention of the arrest or discipline on his doctor's medical board profile or license to practice.
Carmen Balber is the executive director of Consumer Watchdog, which seeks to add more protections for patients.
"Right now, in California, we don't have a right to know about these investigations and that's shocking as a patient and devastating to patient safety," Balber said.
"What does it take for the California Medical Board to take an action on a doctor's license," CBS13's Steve Large asked.
"On average, the medical board takes three years to investigate complaints against doctors and file charges if they are going to file charges," Balber said.
Balber says only 3.5% of complaints made to the medical board end with discipline on a doctor's license.
The sheriff's office reports Singh has held medical director positions in San Joaquin County, too, and his state medical board profile shows his business address listed as a Stockton UPS store.
"It should not be up to individual patients to search the sheriff department website every time they have a doctor's appointment to see if their doctor has been arrested for a crime," Balber said.
Singh was arrested at San Francisco International Airport. The sheriff's office did not confirm if he was arriving or planning on flying out.
Singh is out of custody on bail. His first court appearance is in August.