Central Coast doctor Rowan Godwin suspended for helping terminally-ill partner die

A highly respected Central Coast doctor has been suspended for “unethical conduct” eight years after helping his terminally ill partner die.

A Central Coast doctor has had his registration suspended for six months after the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) found he was guilty of “professional misconduct” in helping his terminally-ill partner die and then lying to police about his involvement.

However a tribunal has heard his actions would never have come to light if it wasn’t for his new girlfriend, who went to police after he ended their relationship.

Dr Rowan Godwin faced the Civil and Administrative Tribunal last week, which ruled in favour of a series of complaints raised by the HCCC about the 66-year-old GP’s conduct.

It came after Dr Godwin was convicted in Gosford Local Court in December 2018 of aiding or abetting the suicide of his terminally ill partner on July 22, 2014, and sentenced to an intensive corrections order for 12 months.

The court heard Dr Godwin was in a loving relationship with a woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006.

By 2014 the cancer had spread to her skin, neck and chest and she was given weeks to live.

The court heard the woman, a registered and experienced nurse, made it clear to her family she intended “ending it on her terms” and planned to fatally overdose on morphine.

The court heard she asked Dr Godwin to go out for groceries and left a note explaining her decision and how it was her plan “alone”.

An autopsy found the woman died from lethal levels of morphine and Dr Godwin was cleared of any involvement in her suicide.

The court heard Dr Godwin commenced a new relationship with a woman, Anita Devi, in 2015, however when he ended the relationship in 2017, Ms Devi went to police and told them he had made admissions in relation to his former partner’s death.

Police commenced an investigation and in a recorded telephone conversation Ms Devi got Dr Godwin to admit it “didn’t go as we planned” and he had to help load the morphine.

Giving evidence at the tribunal Dr Godwin said he put a cannula into his partner’s arm, loaded the morphine and squeezed the bag when the drip would not go through.

He also said when he returned from the shops, and found she wasn’t dead, he put his hand over her mouth and nose for up to 30 seconds “so she could die peacefully” but couldn’t hold his hand there for long because he was too emotional.

The tribunal found Dr Godwin had also inappropriately provided medical care for her previously in prescribing pain relief, sleeping medication and antibiotics as well as taking biopsies and ordering blood tests.

However he told the tribunal he was not her treating doctor and was simply motivated to make life easier for her.

Dr Godwin told the tribunal he helped load morphine into the drip and squeezed the bag when it wouldn’t go through. Picture: file

The HCCC found while the woman was terminally ill, suffering intolerable pain and decided to take her own life without any influence or assistance, Dr Godwin assisted “when it became clear that she could not end her life by herself”.

“He was motivated by his love for her and his determination to carry out her wishes,” the HCCC said in its findings.

“As we have said, many in the community would understand and empathise with Dr Godwin’s plight. But his actions constitute unethical conduct of a serious kind. Not only did he help Patient A die of suicide but he deliberately misled police about the extent of his involvement in Patient A’s death.

“He used his knowledge as a doctor to dissuade police from prosecuting him. He did so because he knew that if he disclosed what he had done it is likely that he would have been charged with a criminal offence.”

Dr Godwin’s registration was suspended for six months from February 26 and he was ordered to pay the HCCC’s legal costs.