Doctor deregistered for relationship with patient

A MELBOURNE doctor's registration has been cancelled over a patient's claims she was suffering "Stockholm syndrome".

A doctor has been deregistered for having an 'inappropriate relationship' with a female patient.

A MELBOURNE doctor's registration has been cancelled over an inappropriate relationship with a patient who claimed she was suffering "Stockholm syndrome" due to his treatment of her.

Dr John Barry Myers was found to have made unrequested late night house calls to the woman's home up to 43 times in three months at the height of their friendship, but denied there was any sexual contact with the patient.

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal heard the 37-year-old woman became infatuated with Dr Myers and sent him more than 300 pages of poems and letters, tapes of love songs and other gifts, yet the doctor continued to treat the woman.

The Medical Board of Australia told the tribunal Dr Myers attended the woman's wedding and made a speech, asked her to assist him when he was in a car crash and attended court to support her husband in a case against her, which could all be considered unprofessional conduct.

The three-member tribunal found that between 1998-2002, and again in 2006-07, Dr Myers engaged in unprofessional conduct of a serious nature by visiting P's home when there was no acute medial reason.

"We regard the frequency and regularity of Dr Myers' home visits, out of hours and late at night, as a strong indication that the doctor/patient relationship in this case went well beyond the appropriate boundaries of a doctor/patient relationship," the tribunal members found.

In orders announced on Tuesday, Dr Myers's medical registration was cancelled and he was disqualified for applying for registration before October 22, 2014.