Psychopath Doctor

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THREE doctors told investigators they had to patrol a Gold Coast hospital, turning on life support systems after a rogue specialist switched them off to speed up the deaths of several elderly patients.

 

"Lots more patients would have died if the doctors had not gone around and turned them back on," whistleblower Jo Barber said yesterday.

 

"The doctors were not interviewed by police, even though there was compelling evidence of unlawful killings."

 

Ms Barber, a former police officer, took statements from the doctors four years ago in her role as chief investigator at the Medical Board of Queensland.

 

She said: "As the interviews continued I kept reporting more and more explosive allegations of deliberate harm to patients.

 

"But I was told repeatedly the medical board handled matters in-house, and there was no need to go to the police."

 

The rogue doctor was described by a colleague as a psychopath in a recording now in possession of the CMC.

 

Ms Barber said she was astounded the doctor did not lose his registration even though the medical board put restrictions on his work, including banning him from working in intensive care units.

 

The board's functions were taken over by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, a federal body, in 2010.

 

Ms Barber was the board's representative on the Health Quality and Complaints Commission and is now employed by Queensland Health's ethical standards unit.

 

She has accused all the watchdog agencies of failing in their duty to protect patients.

 

Retired judge Richard Chesterman, QC, and the CMC's Inspector Cameron Byram are examining serious allegations against doctors on the Gold Coast and at Brisbane, Townsville, Toowoomba, Bundaberg and Hervey Bay.

 

Although she is co-operating with the CMC, Ms Barber said she was concerned it was not moving quickly enough.

 

She said the CMC failed in its oversight of the other agencies when she first sounded the alarm.

 

She has given the CMC the names of 18 doctors she says maimed and killed patients.

 

Many of the doctors are recklessly incompetent and still practising, she said.

 

 

Read more: Vigilante doctors restored life support after rogue specialist turned it off, medical board told | News.com.au