Warning: Language in video is explicit

(WHAS11) - A Kentucky abortion doctor is under scrutiny and the medical license for the doctor has been suspended after allegations that he ran a shoddy abortion operation, put patients at risk, and ripped off the government for thousands of dollars.

And now the bigger question, could this case lead to a push for tougher abortion regulations in the bluegrass state?

Doctor Hamid Sheikh has already been indicted for allegedly billing Medicaid for abortions he performed, allegations he categorically denies.  And now Dr. Sheikh is denying a slew of new allegations from the Kentucky medical licensure board, allegations which paint a picture of a hellish abortion operation.

Abortion opponents say the problems might have been discovered sooner if Kentucky required inspections of offices that provide abortion services.

Inside a doctor’s office building in Lexington, women have been getting abortions in the office of Dr. Hamid Sheikh.  According to what seven of Sheikh’s unhappy former patients told the Kentucky medical licensure board, some of those abortions were excruciatingly painful, unsanitary and illegal. 

The Attorney General’s fraud probe led the medical board to investigate further. 

Unhappy patients told investigators that Dr. Sheikh didn’t perform ultrasounds to see if they were pregnant. 

One woman said he tried to perform a vaginal exam without a cover on the wand, several reported dirty gowns, one saw blood on equipment.  Most claimed they didn’t get pain pills or anesthetic. 

A 17-year-old reported unbearable pain while another woman claims Dr. Sheikh told her to “shut up” so women in the waiting room wouldn’t hear her screaming.            

The state investigator looked at records of 22 patients, finding 8 apparently weren’t required to wait the required 24 hours for an abortion. 

There were outdated medications and bio-hazardous materials removed during abortions that hadn’t been picked up in 12 weeks.

The head of the EMW clinic in Lexington hopes the allegations against Dr. Sheikh do not reflect poorly on other abortion providers.

Dr. Sheikh tells WHAS11’s Mark Hebert he’s been a doctor for 33 years with no complaints until last year.  He denies all allegations in his written response to the medical licensure board and says the state investigator was biased against him. 

Sheikh says he personally sterilizes his instruments, did require 24 hour waits and never used ineffective medicine.  He says those complaining about his work had a low threshold for pain or were upset they didn’t get any cash back. 

Sheikh also provided WHAS11’s Mark Hebert with copies of letters from patients who say Sheikh does great work and is a wonderful doctor. 

The medical licensure board’s consultant didn’t see it that way, concluding Sheikh committed “gross negligence” and “put his patients at risk.”

The board suspended his medical license.  But one pro-life senator says if Kentucky required inspections of abortion providers, any possible problems might have been discovered sooner.

There are some allegations in the medical board’s complaint that we didn’t feel comfortable describing. 

Again, Dr. Sheikh denies all of the allegations against him, in court and in front of the medical licensure board.

He told WHAS11’s Mark Hebert that he retired earlier this month.