Listed: SA medical professionals banned or suspended by South Australia’s Civil Administrative Tribunal

More than 30 SA medical professionals have received serious sanctions over the past decade. For the first time, here’s the list of those banned or suspended from practice.

More than 140 South Australian medical professionals have appeared before disciplinary tribunals or the state’s criminal courts over the past decade.

Medical practitioners who commit professional misconduct should be ordered to display signs in their waiting rooms to alert patients, says a peak consumer group.

Consumers SA has been lobbying the national body responsible for disciplinary action against doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, psychologists, psychiatrists and chiropractors to improve public awareness.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) maintains an online register of all medical practitioners which details any punitive action taken against them.

Consumers SA health spokeswoman Pam Moore said there had been more than 140 hearings in the past decade involving South Australian medical professionals.

Offences had included inappropriate touching or filming, sexual relationships with patients, drug use, fraud, theft and serious physical assault.

Dozens received serious sanctions – some were permanently banned for professional misconduct while others were suspended from practice or had conditions placed on them.

“The public needs to know that they have done something wrong and that they had action taken against them,” Ms Moore said.

“While the information might be available on a website, there should be signs in their waiting rooms telling people what they did and what conditions have been put on them.”

Under changes introduced nationally, AHPRA investigates complaints against medical professionals and refers prosecutions to the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT).

A victim of an Adelaide chiropractor, Peter Wayne Snodgrass, who secretly filmed his clients speaks outside court after he was jailed for more than 10 years.

General practitioner Mario Athinodorou was disqualified for 13 years for inappropriate sexual conduct towards 10 patients.

Mrs Moore said Consumers SA had sent several letters to AHPRA and met with senior officers to raise its concerns about the public notification of adverse findings by SACAT against medical professionals.

This included asking medical practitioners who had been reprimanded to display signs in their waiting rooms.

Former Flinders Medical Centre nurse Diosa Navarro Rankine filmed and shared footage of an elderly dementia patient.

Former Glenside Hospital psychiatrist Julian Kent was permanently banned for having sexual relationships with three women he was treating.

Mrs Moore said AHPRA’s response was “to educate and encourage consumers to check the registration of practitioners through its AHPRA web page”.

“While we acknowledge it would be good for consumers to be aware of the register kept by AHPRA, it is unrealistic to expect consumers to check the register,” she said.

“The purpose of the Health Practitioner Act is to protect the public, not practitioners.”

Enrolled nurse and former scout leader Mark Jason Dunnett leaves the District Court after receiving a suspended jail sentence for sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy

Cardiologist Professor Andrew McGavigan leaves Adelaide Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to child pornography charges.

An AHPRA spokesman said its register “contains up-to-date information about every registered practitioner, including the details of any restrictions or limitations on their registration”.

There were many practice settings where displaying signs “would be ineffective or impractical”.

This included doctors in public hospital emergency departments with restrictions on their registrations.