SA doctor banned for inappropriate relationship with client

A former Adelaide doctor has been prohibited from practicing medicine in Australia for a minimum of two years following findings of professional misconduct. The South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT) issued the ruling after the Medical Board of South Australia presented a complaint alleging a nearly four-year inappropriate relationship between the doctor and a patient.

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The Tribunal notes the impact statement of [the patient] tendered to the Tribunal by the applicant ... in which [she] expresses her view that the respondent 'spent years grooming' her and that 'over time, his behaviour towards [her] became increasingly inappropriate and manipulative'.

The 59-year-old physician, who practiced in Australia for 14 years until his registration lapsed in December 2023, has since moved overseas. The tribunal determined that while the relationship was not sexual, it violated professional standards and left the patient feeling "distressed, fearful, intimidated and unsafe." The patient described the doctor's behavior as "grooming" and increasingly manipulative, noting a significant power imbalance that made it difficult to disengage from the situation.

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[The patient] says that there was a power imbalance between her and the respondent (beyond the usual power imbalance between doctor and patient) because she 'needed him to sign documentation required for [her] university progression'.

Further findings revealed that the doctor benefited from the relationship by prescribing medication in the patient's name for his own use and receiving food deliveries. This conduct, which spanned from April 2018 to February 2022, was characterized by the tribunal as far from a "one-off incident." The judgment also noted "flirty" communications via WhatsApp, including terms of endearment, and meetings outside of consultations with "extended hugs."

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The Tribunal accepts that [the patient] felt distressed, fearful, intimidated and unsafe, and felt that she could not remove herself from the situation with the respondent 'safely or without consequence.'

The tribunal concluded that the former doctor was not a "fit and proper person" to practice medicine, acknowledging his wrongdoing. The ban reflects the severity of the misconduct and the impact on the patient, emphasizing the importance of maintaining professional boundaries in the doctor-patient relationship.

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The respondent's conduct violating the professional boundaries between himself and [the woman] was far from a one-off incident and further the respondent benefited himself from his contact with [her] by (at least) acquiring medication for himself that had been prescribed for [the woman], and by receiving bread and discount vouchers from [her].