THE health complaints regulator has imposed conditions on a Moree doctor after he was found guilty of unprofessional conduct.
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Dr Sunil Kumar Dan has been reprimanded by the Medical Professional Standards Committee and had several conditions placed upon his practice after a complaint involving a pregnant woman he treated four years ago.
The woman was inappropriately prescribed medication by Dr Dan and the woman later lost her baby. Authorities found the death of the patient’s child was associated with prescribing the medication, which should not be prescribed during pregnancy.
The NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) prosecuted the complaint over the care and medication Dr Dan provided for the patient, who cannot be named for legal reasons, during her pregnancy in 2012.
“The committee understands the death was likely to have been associated with the Micardis Plus and Caduet Patient A was inappropriately prescribed during her pregnancy,” the judgement said.
“Dr Dan expressed deep regret in regard to the prescription of medications for Patient A during her pregnancy, and the consequences. He told the committee she had been his patient since 1989, and commenced treatment for hypertension in 2009.”
In a judgement published this week, the committee said Dr Dan had failed to appropriately review and assess the patient and her medication during the pregnancy.
“Dr Dan admitted he inappropriately prescribed Micardis Plus and Caduet, and failed to conduct a review of Patient A’s medication at 13, 17, and 26 weeks into the pregnancy, as claimed in the Particulars of Complaint,” the judgement said.
Dr Dan admitted to the complaint and acknowledged “that they constituted unsatisfactory professional conduct”.
The Committee found the complaint proven, and issued a reprimand, ordering him to complete an educational course on prescribing medication and placed conditions on his registration.
As part of the conditions, Dr Dan must not undertake any antenatal consultations or obstetric practice from July 25, practise only in a group practice approved by the Medical Council, practise only under supervision, and treat no more than 60 patients per week.
The Committee was told Dr Dan had devoted his life to medicine, and had been practising medicine in Moree since being registered in NSW in 1976.
He told the Committee he had been a Visiting Medical Officer (VMO) at the Moree hospital from 1979, but this had stopped recently.
Dr Dan also told the hearing he had reduced his on-call hours at the hospital from 2013, and was no longer doing obstetrics.