of the year travelling , taking his | ||||
daughter to New Zealand , and returning | ||||
to China to visit his mother . | ||||
But he needed to pay the bills . What | ||||
options did he have ? He says very few . | ||||
In 2019 , he started driving taxis . | ||||
“ I did enjoy it actually . You don ’ t | ||||
have to use your brainpower to be | ||||
dealing with these sorts of hopeless | ||||
situations . I thought maybe I should | ||||
have driven taxis when I first came | ||||
to Australia . | ||||
“ I told some customers that I used | ||||
to work in the medical field and a couple | ||||
of people were very interested . | ||||
“ One person said , ‘ Oh what a great | ||||
waste to be driving taxis , they need | ||||
doctors in the bush .’” | ||||
He then completed a diploma in | ||||
bioethics at the University of Sydney — | ||||
additional training that had been one |
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of the sanctions imposed by the medical council as part of his rehabilitation .
“ It was very hard … but I realised that what happened to me was a part
|
Associate Professor Graham Barrett ( top ).
Dr Sam Heard ( bottom ).
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of life . If they [ the regulator ] can jump |
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on me like this then maybe I did something |
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wrong . |
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“ To survive , to work , to have any |
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sense of hope , you have to accept |
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what happened .”
A mistake
To be clear , Dr Chen says he is not
|
item to fund subcutaneous ketamine injections , after its trials found “ promising ” remission rates for |
To satisfy the terms of the training he was required to complete a hospital term . |
‘ Double standards ’
Dr Chen says he no longer sees himself
as a scapegoat . But he does talk
|
||
attempting to rewrite history or |
severe depression . |
Despite 20 years of clinical prac- |
of feeling “ persecuted ”. |
||
make claims that his involvement |
And Victoria ’ s first public keta- |
tice in Australia , much of this in hos- |
This seems to be his view of the dis- |
||
with the Aura clinic was anything |
mine clinic — which is not a clinical |
pitals , no hospital it seems is willing |
parity between the stated purpose of |
||
other than a mistake . |
trial — opened at the Royal Melbourne |
to employ him . |
the regulatory regime governing doc- |
||
He says he was naïve , his decisions |
Hospital in October . |
“ I ’ ve applied for 41 jobs and only |
tors and the actual effects of its actions . |
||
wrong . But he says the presence of |
Dr Chen stresses this is not offer- |
got three interviews . That ’ s just in |
It is meant to be the first and last |
“ He killed himself ,” Dr Chen says . |
|
Professor Barrett had convinced him |
ing him backdated justifications for |
NSW . |
there to protect patients from harm . |
“ It was about three years ago . |
|
it was a legitimate operation . |
his actions . |
“ I ’ ve tried to talk to so many |
A tribunal will often go to some |
“ His wife told me it was so hard |
|
And he maintains that it was “ sold |
“ No , I wouldn ’ t say any of this is a |
doctors , no-one is interested . |
lengths in its judgements to make |
for him . He had three kids .” |
|
to him as a clinical trial ”. “ It was not meant to be a backyard clinic but a genuine business , |
vindication . I did what I thought was best for the patients suffering at the time . Of course , the science develops . |
Dr Sam Heard
When asked if he feels ostracised
|
it clear that its role is not to punish doctors . It is not a criminal court distributing criminal justice . |
The future
He continues : “ My medical career is
|
|
but I found out later it had a bad repu- |
“ If you asked me now whether I |
by the medical community , he says , |
For Dr Chen , given his experiences , |
perhaps already gone . I ’ m 61-years- |
|
tation ,” he says . |
would get involved in a novel treat- |
“ In some ways , yes .” |
you sense he would find that ludicrous . |
old . But I just want [ what happened |
|
“ That was my mistake , I shouldn ’ t |
ment I would say , I ’ m sorry , I can ’ t .” |
There are a few exceptions . |
And he does remain aggrieved in |
to me ] to never happen to the younger |
|
have got involved in that type of work .” |
This insight was acknowledged by |
They include Dr Sam Heard , a |
his perception that the regulator had |
generation of doctors . |
|
But he still insists he felt an obliga- |
“ double standards ” in its punishment |
“ There are lots of Dr Chens in the |
|
tion to help patients and their families who were suffering .
It was about treatments of last resort to those whose lives were being torn apart .
“ I ’ ve never known so many people
|
‘ I ’ m still in very good health , but if they keep kicking me around and don ’ t give me a chance , then I might give up .‘ |
of him . “ They showed so much hatred towards me . “ If you treat me like this , you should be treating other people like this .” “ Other people ” — his reference to |
health profession , they look different , but they work very hard .
“ They shouldn ’ t be treated this way . That ’ s my purpose for [ speaking out ] today .”
He says he remains hopeful .
|
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depressed … so many patients came in , |
the other people involved with Aura . |
He is currently working to try and |
||||||
we were inundated ,” he says . |
the medical council at the hearing to |
well-respected doctor in the NT , a |
He was the only doctor involved |
transfer his GP training to the NT . |
“ Patients of all ages came to the |
reinstate his registration in 2021 . |
one-time Australian Doctor columnist |
who was struck off . |
“ I hope I will be able to go there |
clinic … most had tried two or three |
“ The judge said to me ‘ Dr Chen I |
and Dr Chen ’ s old supervisor . |
In June 2015 , AHPRA banned |
again , do very well and be a much- |
antidepressants and not found |
feel for you for the last two years .’ It |
“ He was very open and abso- |
Professor Barrett from prescribing |
loved doctor . |
them helpful .” |
almost made me cry .” |
lutely professional in his disclosure of |
ketamine to patients , amid allega- |
“ I ’ m still in very good health , and I |
His role at the clinic was to assess |
But there has been no return . |
everything to me ,” Dr Heard said when |
tions that he had administered the |
can contribute . But if they keep kick- |
patients , take their histories and |
More than two years on from |
we approached him in November . |
drug from his Melbourne home . |
ing me around and don ’ t give me a |
administer the injections . He says |
that day , he is struggling to find |
“ He operated at a high level — he is |
At a tribunal four years later he |
chance , then I might have to give up . |
most people were given a four-week |
work as a doctor . Excommunication |
a competent , bright , worldly fella and |
was then reprimanded , and condi- |
“ Hopefully , one day , I will be in a |
course of treatment . |
feels permanent . |
contributed well .” |
tions were imposed on his registration |
better position and proud to talk to |
|
The costs were significant — reportedly up to $ 3000 .
The tribunal in its findings said that he failed to follow up four patients whom he had supplied ketamine to administer at home .
Reflection
Looking back now , he still believes no patients were harmed by the treatment he gave them .
“ They said to me , ‘ Dr Chen , I had
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“ What does it mean to have been deregistered ? It is career wrecking .”
Reinstatement
He said it took nine months for AHPRA to reinstate his registration .
After this he was able to find work as a doctor at a GP clinic in Sydney .
But as an IMG without fellowship he was only able to bill private patients .
As you expect , his employment
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He added that the fact Dr Chen has twice been accepted onto the GP training program , which is competitive , shows others “ appreciate him too ”.
“ He did his time and got back into the program and then just couldn ’ t get a [ hospital ] placement .
“ I thought that was very sad especially as we would be very happy to have him , and in an area where we are really struggling to get registrars .”
Dr Heard added : “ All I can say is
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not to possess , prescribe , dispense or administer ketamine .
But these conditions were only to remain in place until he had “ successfully completed education ” on providing medical care to patients at home and prescribing and administering ketamine .
Existential harms
Dr Chen talks about existential harms
resulting from the regulatory system .
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you .” * Aura Medical Corporation is not related to Aura Medical Group .
If this news story has raised issues for you or you are concerned about someone you know , you can call the following support services 24 hours a day , seven days a week :
Lifeline : 13 11 14
|
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the best relief , I ’ ve never been like that , I was always depressed , I almost wanted to kill myself , but now I can reattach to my family , to my work .’
“ Ketamine is used for depression nowadays ,” he adds . That statement has some truth . The potential benefits of the S8 drug continue to spark interest . Last year , the Black Dog Institute made an application for an MBS
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did not last long .
“ Also , because I was on conditions , a senior doctor was supposed to spend 10 hours looking at my consultations and they couldn ’ t do that , the patient numbers were minimal .”
Dr Chen applied again for the GP training program and last year in November he received the RACGP letter accepting him into the medical fold . But he hit another roadblock .
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from my professional interaction with him the decision [ to deregister ] was too harsh .
“ But that ’ s only based on his competence , commitment , his energy , his clinical sense — that ’ s just a professional view of him operating in my environment .
“ I got to work with him and that counts for something doesn ’ t it ? I was his supervisor .”
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“ The same year as me another doctor got a complaint . I had a coffee with him on the Gold Coast .”
The doctor was Dr Yen-Yung Yap , an obstetrician from Adelaide .
According to media reports , he had been banned by AHPRA from performing vaginal births due to a complaint over his alleged use of vacuum extraction instead of forceps to deliver two babies .
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State- and territory-based doctors ’ health services :
• ACT : 1300 374 377
• NSW : 02 9437 6552
• NT : 08 8366 0250
• Queensland : 07 3833 4352
• SA : 08 8366 0250
• Tasmania : 1300 374 377
• Victoria : 1300 330 543
• WA : 08 9321 3098
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