Tributes flow for ‘brilliant doctor’ Yen-Yung Yap
An Adelaide obstetrician and father of three has been remembered as a “brilliant doctor” and a fierce advocate for Australia’s Chinese community after his shock death.
SA News
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An Adelaide obstetrician and father of three is being remembered as a fierce advocate for Australia’s Chinese community after his shock death on the eve of Father’s Day.
Dr Yen-Yung Yap, 43, who ran clinics at Glandore and Port Adelaide, was found dead on September 5, two days after SA Police issued a public plea for information about his whereabouts.
Police are not treating his death as suspicious but have referred the matter to the State Coroner.
A gynaecologist and IVF specialist, Dr Yap studied medicine at Adelaide University and was secretary of the Australian Health Reform Association, whose board paid respects to their “beloved” friend.
“Many mothers benefited from his care and exacting medical skills, and he safely brought so many babies into this world with utmost care,” the society said, in a post on president Dr Anthony Pun’s Facebook page.
“The Chinese Australian community mourns the loss of one of her great sons who had displayed selfless devotion to his family, profession and community, and who had so much more to give to the world.”
Dr Pun said Dr Yap was passionate about advocating for the interests of the Chinese community in Australia.
Former patients also paid tribute to Dr Yap on his practices’ Facebook page, among them new parents who credited the clinician’s support in helping them have children.
But the AHRA also intimated that Dr Yap was a “victim” of the Australian medical system and “its processes” and that the “trauma finally overtook him”.
Dr Pun declined to elaborate on this statement when contacted by The Advertiser. Dr Yap’s wife referred inquiries to Dr Pun.
Dr Yap had appealed to the SA Health Practitioners Tribunal seeking the removal of conditions placed on his licence in March 2018 by the Medical Board of Australia following complaints about his alleged conduct and performance.
In an August 2019 decision, granting Dr Yap’s right to appeal, the tribunal noted that the conditions required him to complete a “course of education” and undergo “one-on-one education” in communication with patients and colleagues.
A spokeswoman for the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency would not comment on the specific conditions placed on Dr Yap’s registration, citing federal privacy restrictions.
“We are saddened to hear of the passing of Dr Yen Yung Yap and send our condolences to his family, friends and colleagues,” she said in a statement.
She said doctors and medical students experiencing distress can access help through the Doctor’s Health Service, a subsidiary of the Australian Medical Association and funded by the Medical Board of Australia.