Cooroy doctor David Alexander Kirkman reprimanded in tribunal for serious misconduct

A long-standing Queensland doctor’s misconduct over opioid prescriptions led to inappropriately high doses of morphine for one patient and police noticing another frequently asleep behind the wheel of a car.

A long-standing Queensland doctor’s misconduct over opioid prescriptions led to ‘erratic’ behaviour in one patient and police noticing another frequently asleep behind the wheel of a car.

New details have come to light regarding the retirement of a longstanding Noosa doctor, with court documents revealing he surrendered his registration after the “community were placed at risk” due to misconduct.

Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal documents, published on Wednesday, found Cooroy-based doctor David Alexander Kirkman engaged in serious misconduct over his prescription of opioids to patients.

According to the documents, Dr Kirkman surrendered his registration as a general practitioner on August 15, 2022, after practising since 1975.

The documents reveal three serious allegations came before the tribunal, all relating to the inappropriate prescribing of restricted drugs to a “significant number of patients” over a prolonged period of time.

In one case, a patient was prescribed high doses of morphine at “erratic and inappropriate” levels despite multiple warnings from Nambour Hospital, according to the documents.

Another patient was “frequently noticed by police” to be asleep behind the wheel of his car while Dr Kirkman continued to prescribe fentanyl for neck pain, described by the Health Ombudsman’s independent expert as “extremely potent” and not appropriate in the patient’s circumstances.

Dr David Kirkman. Photo: Facebook

Dr Kirkman had previously been disciplined for the inappropriate prescribing of weight-loss drug, Duromine, after ignoring Queensland Health’s directions, the court documents stated.

The tribunal found Dr Kirkman’s behaviour to be a serious example of professional misconduct and disqualified him from applying for registration as health practitioner for 18 months.

According to the documents, Dr Kirkman denied details of the allegations, but did not contest them.

QCAT member Julie Dick said Dr Kirkman had co-operated with the proceedings but his attempts at rehabilitation were “perfunctory”.

“The education was a one-day pain management masterclass with the Avant Risk Advisory Service in January 2018, after which he continued to breach the regulation,” Ms Dick said.

“The mentoring involved two meetings with the mentor. Such rehabilitation is at best perfunctory.”

Dr Kirkman was contacted for comment.