A doctor in Victoria has been struck off the medical register and banned from reapplying for registration for six years following a series of severe professional misconduct findings, including assaulting his wife and providing substandard care that contributed to a patient's death. However, a pseudonym order prevents the identification of the doctor, referred to as WLD, to protect the privacy of his former wife and children, who were victims of family violence and also his patients.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) upheld 16 counts of professional misconduct and one of unprofessional conduct against WLD. The findings detailed a pattern of reckless behavior spanning several years. In December 2021, WLD assaulted his wife while she was holding their three-year-old child, pushing her and causing her to strike her face on a doorframe and require hospital treatment.
COVID-19 Breaches and Patient Harm
During Victoria's COVID-19 lockdowns in August 2021, the doctor conducted cosmetic procedures on 232 patients across 250 appointments, activities that were expressly prohibited under public health orders. Experts testified that these consultations posed a risk of spreading the virus to patients, staff, and the wider community. VCAT heard that two women were hospitalized following these treatments. One patient experienced pharyngeal weakness, a swallowing difficulty, after receiving Botox injections in her neck, and another developed a serious facial infection and abscess after the doctor failed to adequately assess her and obtain informed consent.
Inappropriate Prescribing and Record Keeping
Further misconduct involved the doctor's treatment of his own family members and Medical Board-appointed chaperones. He prescribed medication, including a substance in his infant son's name that was intended for himself and his wife. He also provided care to three chaperones that was significantly below acceptable standards, including issuing certificates and prescribing medication. His clinical records were found to be so poorly maintained that other medical professionals could not discern the treatments provided.
Patient Death and Disciplinary History
Most critically, the tribunal found WLD provided inadequate care to a young patient with complex mental health and substance abuse issues who later died from a drug overdose. The doctor prescribed large doses of restricted medications without proper assessment, monitoring, or permits, and failed to coordinate the patient's care. VCAT noted that violence within a relationship breakdown is a serious abuse of vulnerability, and children witnessing such violence can suffer significant harm, which WLD disregarded.
This marks the doctor's 14th disciplinary matter in two decades, with previous findings including boundary breaches, inappropriate prescribing, poor record-keeping, and repeated failures to comply with registration conditions. He has been suspended since August 2022. The six-year ban on reapplying for registration means he will have been out of practice for nearly ten years. The tribunal emphasized the need to send a strong message that such fundamental failures to meet professional standards will not be tolerated.