A patient who says he was ridiculed and offended by the vulgar language used by a doctor at Gozo General Hospital wants the incident to be investigated.

Photographer Renè Rossignaud claimed that when he asked to speak to a female doctor before undergoing a minor operation he heard her telling a nurse she did not care about him.

In a judicial protest filed yesterday against the doctor and the Health Minister, Mr Rossignaud reserved the right to proceed against the doctor through a formal complaint to the Medical Council.

He said the incident took place at about midday on Tuesday when he went to the Gozo hospital for a minor operation to treat an infection to his knee. Since he suffered from a stomach condition, he said he told the nurse to ask the surgeon what kind of anaesthetic would be used and to convey other medical concerns he had.

At first, Mr Rossignaud added, the nurse refused but when he insisted, she complied and found the doctor in the corridor outside his room. He said he heard the doctor shouting at the top of her voice, using vulgar language, which Mr Rossignaud found “humiliating and indecent”.

He claimed he heard her say: “I don’t give a f*** about his medical condition... I don’t give a f*** about his medical issues... I’m not a f****** supermarket.”

He said he also heard the doctor instructing the nurses to tell the patient “to get back to the waiting room and I will operate him at 6pm”. Mr Rossignaud checked himself out of the hospital and called a private hospital to carry out the operation there.

He said he had lost an entire day of work because of the doctor’s “arrogance and lack of professionalism” and called on Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia to investigate the matter, holding both the minister and the doctor responsible for damages. Mr Rossignaud said he had been contacted by the Health Ministry and the Office of the Prime Minister who promised they were looking into the matter.

Lawyer Jan-Karl Farrugia signed the protest.