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VANCOUVER - One doctor exposed himself to patients, while another propositioned a woman while he was performing a vaginal exam on her and then called her for dates.

Yet another physician had a year-long relationship with a former patient who was an inmate.

Those are some of the cases included in the annual report of the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons, which disciplined nine doctors in 2007 for sexual misconduct against their patients.

The report released Thursday says the college reviewed 28 allegations of sexual misconduct involving 24 doctors, ultimately taking action against nine of them.

Five doctors were suspended for varying lengths of time and the others either agreed to stop practising medicine or had already quit their jobs when the complaint review was complete.

The most serious punishment went to Dr. Tim Kom Wou, who admitted to exposing himself to two patients during a physical exam in 2004.

Wou, who practised in New Westminster, B.C., paid a $7,500 fine to the college and was erased from its medical register, meaning he may have difficulty getting a licence to practise in another jurisdiction.

The report says psychiatrist Dr. Carol Elaine Davies admitted she was guilty of unprofessional conduct for having a "personal relationship" with a former patient who was a prisoner she'd visited frequently for a year.

In another case, Dr. Deepakkumar Vallabbai Patidar of Maple Ridge, B.C., admitted he was guilty of professional misconduct for suggesting he and a patient on whom he was conducting a vaginal exam meet socially.

He then called the woman at home to ask her out.

Patidar was suspended for 18 months starting in June 2007 and was required to take assessments, counselling, remedial education and pay a fine of $5,000 to the college, which will monitor his practice.

College registrar Dr. Morris VanAndel said the regulatory body has 10,000 members who conduct millions of patient visits a year.

"Compared to the number of people who are practising out there, who by the nature of their job are doing sensitive exams, ... who may not be the best communicators and may have misconceptions, the total number (of infractions) is not overwhelming but serious sexual misconduct is not tolerated," VanAndel said.

Alison Brewin, spokeswoman for West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund, said she's concerned about the patients who may not file a complaint.

"There's a lot of women who would experience this and walk away from a particular doctor."