Public appalled as doctor de-registered in 2004 is accused of mutilating women

Feb 25 2008

As more and more complaints continue to appear regarding the behaviour of a Sydney doctor many are appalled that he continued to practice after being struck off the medical register.

Some of the reported cases are quite horrific with women scheduled to undergo minor surgery suffering unnecessary and sometimes horrific gynaecological procedures, mutilated genitals and experiencing indecent assaults.

The public is clearly owed an explanation as to how he was able to continue working and employment screening processes at hospitals must be scrutinised.

Sydney doctor Graeme Stephen Reeves was de-registered by the NSW Medical Tribunal in 2004 but it seems he has been allowed to continue to work at hospitals in Bega and Pambula on the state's south coast.

It has emerged that he was struck off after breaching previous conditions imposed in 1997 barring him from obstetrics.

According to the NSW Medical Board, Reeves evaded the ban because he moved from Sydney to a new job as a gynaecologist and obstetrician at Bega and Pambula, and simply lied to his new employers about his licence to practise.

He apparently also lied to the board saying that the hospital knew of his licence restrictions.

Some 187 separate incidents have been reported to the Medical Error Action Group, a private body that lobbies for better monitoring of medical malpractice; most took place between 1993 and 2002.

The Medical Board's registrar Andrew Dix says at the time legislation only allowed the board to notify existing employers about the conditions barring Dr. Reeves from obstetric work, which it did but they were not allowed to notify his new employer when he moved to the South Coast.

But Mr Dix says since 2005 and 2006 the law has changed and such information was now routinely passed on.

The board is urging aggrieved patients to present their allegations and both the Health Minister Reba Meagher and NSW Police are appealing for patients with complaints about Dr. Reeves to come forward.

The Health Minister has said the case was "very disturbing" and any complaints should immediately be referred to the relevant authorities for investigation, including the Health Care Complaints Commission.

The Medical Error Action Group says the picture painted is one of botched gynaecological procedures in the 1990s and sexual assault in 2002 and says any women who were mistreated by the doctor must report their problems to the police as other reports of malpractice by the doctor have been mishandled by authorities.

The group says without statements the police cannot act.