A Gold Coast doctor who illegally accessed his ex-wife’s medical records has been fined $5000, but has escaped the formal reprimand sought by the Medical Board of Australia.
The Queensland Civil and Administration Tribunal heard the case, brought by the medical board, in October, but the judgment was only published this week.
The tribunal heard that by reviewing his ex-wife’s scans on the day before she was informed of the results, the doctor knew of her diagnosis before she did. They had previously been married for 11 years.
A Gold Coast doctor has been fined after he looked at his ex-wife’s medical records without her permission.Credit: Jessica Shapiro
The medical board had sought a formal public reprimand for the doctor, but he was instead fined $5000, despite QCAT’s finding that he had engaged in professional misconduct.
In her published decision, QCAT member Julie Dick, SC, said there had been a number of affidavits from the doctor’s peers, who spoke highly of his care and concern for his patients.
“The applicant has proffered reasons for his behaviour and stresses his children’s anxiety and his own distressed mental state at the time,” she said.
“However, that is to be seen in light of the fact that some months separated the instances of behaviour.
“As I say, right from the time he was notified, he made full admissions and took steps to address his behaviour through mentoring from a senior practitioner.”
The doctor, referred to only as “FSF”, accessed the medical records of his ex-wife, referred to as “MC”, twice in 2020 – on September 3 and 6.
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