Doctor suspended after registrar death
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RACHEL WORSLEY A SENIOR neurosurgeon has been suspended for failing to report the illicit drug use of a registrar with whom he had become infatuated.
The unnamed doctor developed an informal mentoring relationship with the registrar while they worked together at a Sydney hospital in 2012.
The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal was told the neurosurgeon developed an emotional dependency on the registrar, which bordered on“ unconditional infatuation”.
Both started taking the psychoactive drug GHB, as well as ecstasy and cocaine, while socialising outside work and on weekends, and they would turn up to work, reporting insomnia and tiredness.
In early April 2013, the neurosurgeon attempted to wean the registrar off GHB by prescribing pregabalin. Later that month, the registrar was found dead from a heroin overdose.
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The Health Care Complaints Commission brought six complaints against the neurosurgeon, including that he had failed to notify the hospital about his registrar’ s drug habit. |
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The tribunal found AHPRA’ s mandatory reporting laws did not directly apply because the neurosurgeon had discovered the drug use in the course of his personal relationship with the registrar, not |
Details of the case have been sent to NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard amid concerns that the problem of recreational drug use by doctors may be more widespread than previously thought. |
as part of his practice as a doctor.
However, the tribunal said the neurosurgeon was still obliged to report his registrar under the Medical Board of Australia’ s code of conduct because he had a primary
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duty to ensure his registrar was not putting patients at risk of harm.
“ The tribunal considers such failure by the practitioner to so notify as egregious conduct, especially since the practitioner was a mentor of the registrar.”
The neurosurgeon was found guilty of four other counts of unsatisfactory professional conduct relating to inappropriate prescribing of drugs and failing to encourage his registrar to seek professional help.
He was suspended for three months.
On return to work, the neurosurgeon will be subject to a range of conditions, including random urine testing and attendance at Narcotics Anonymous meetings.
Details of the case have been sent to NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard amid concerns that the problem of recreational drug use by doctors may be more widespread than previously thought and could impact on patient care.
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‘ I just got to watch some great cricket’
Doctors of Australia celebrates the diversity and passion of those working at the heart of healthcare. Launched by Australian Doctor, the project includes a website showcasing GPs’ personal stories.
Dr Robert Hungerford of Newcastle, NSW, shares his story.
MY sister is a cardiologist and also played for the ACT Meteors cricket team. She was asked to work with the West Indian and Sri Lankan cricket teams during their tour of Australia. She had other commitments, so she passed the job onto me.
I spent three or four days with them at a time in case of medical incidents. I spent some time with the physios and got to watch them train.
The medicine itself is straightforward, just musculoskeletal medicine. Really, I just got to watch some great cricket.
They were two contrasting teams. With Sri Lanka, the diligence and training was incredible. They’ d train like they were playing. They’ d practise batting for 40 minutes at a time and rebuke themselves if they missed a shot.
Kumar Sangakkara was an academic— always reading a novel. Mahela Jayawardene was a bit of a joker.
Tillakaratne Dilshan was a bit of a prankster. Once, he told training staff the bus was at 4.30pm when
PHOTO: Andy Gock
it wasn’ t due for another hour. Everybody got all packed up and headed over, then came back to find him relaxing in the changing rooms.
The West Indians were just what you’ d expect: a bunch of boisterous boys. It was hard to round them up. You’ d be out for dinner, look around, and they’ d be away chatting to the locals. Players like Chris Gayle and www. doctorsofaustralia. com. au
Andre Russell— how hard they hit the ball. It was frightening, even standing behind the nets.
I remember when the team was on its way to the Prime Minister’ s XI match. We were on the bus to The Lodge and Darren Sammy, the captain, was talking to me to figure out what he would say.
It was there that Julia Gillard’ s partner, Tim Mathieson, made a joke— a gaffe about prostate cancer and digital rectal examinations.
It was a bit awkward for a lot of people, but the West Indians found it amusing.
I’ ve had opportunities to do cricket things since then, but I’ ve had to turn them down. Family commitments, you know.
Maternity services plan dumped
GEIR O’ ROURKE A CONTROVERSIAL national maternity services plan that barely mentions GPs is being dumped a week before its final release.
The draft National Framework for Maternity Services had been panned after being developed without the input of obstetricians or GPs.
Drawn up by a working group dominated by midwives and state bureaucrats, it also glossed over clinical issues such as vitamin K prophylaxis and failed to weigh the evidence for midwife-led vs obstetrician-led care.
Now the AMA is celebrating a“ win for women and children” after the advisory council for state and federal health ministers decided to bin the plan, which would have set Australiawide standards for the sector.
Work on the plan apparently began in April last year, but the medical profession was kept in the dark until December.
The about-face was announced at a stakeholder consultation forum in Melbourne last month, exactly a week before the Council of Australian Governments Maternity Care Policy Work Group was due to release its final blueprint.
Queensland Health acting senior director of strategic policy Graham Kraak, who chaired the working group, said the plan was scrapped due to“ overwhelming concerns”.
“ In short, there were overwhelming concerns regarding the framework and there was a view that it shouldn’ t proceed in its current form, that work should cease on it,” he said.
The cancellation means the sector will continue to operate without a national framework after the previous plan expired in 2015.
www. australiandoctor. com. au 7 July 2017 | Australian Doctor | 5