Fined doctor 'abused his privileges'

A doctor who groped and sexually propositioned a deeply distressed and vulnerable 68-yearold patient at a WA hospital has been banned from reapplying to practise for five years and fined $10,000.

The State Administrative Tribunal said John Barry Myers had a pattern of “boundary violations” dating back to 2004, had shown an escalating pattern of conduct and posed too great a risk to allow him to continue to practise.

“Dr Myers is permanently or indefinitely unfit to practise,” the tribunal said.

The tribunal ruled that Dr Myers engaged in professional misconduct by indecently assaulting the patient and making sexually inappropriate comments to the depressed and anxious woman over three days at the Geraldton Hospital in 2012.

It found he fondled the patient’s breast, tried to hug the woman and asked her to kiss him, patted her on the bottom and among many inappropriate sexual comments, said he wanted her to perform oral sex on him.

The tribunal described Dr Myers’ behaviour as an abuse of his privileges and a contravention of a right-thinking person’s standards.

The tribunal said there was a need to protect the public from further misconduct by Dr Myers.

Dr Myers’ sexual remarks had persisted over three days and his conduct was not an isolated lapse of judgment, the tribunal said.

Dr Myer’s registration was cancelled for a year by the Victorian tribunal.

He has a history of unprofessional misconduct which led to previous fines and reprimands.