Shaun Segal: Doctor’s medical registration cancelled after two year patient relationship

A Sydney doctor who had a personal relationship with a female patient he was treating for a “high libido”, calling her more than 650 times to hear about her sexual and relationship exploits, has been barred from practising for at least a year.

Dr Shaun Segal was treating the patient when the inappropriate relationship began.

A Sydney doctor who had an inappropriate relationship with a patient that spanned the course of more than two years will be unable to work in the profession for at least one year.

Dr Shaun Segal had his medical registration cancelled by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal on Wednesday and will be unable to reapply for his registration for one year.

The cancellation followed a Health Care Complaints Commission investigation into an inappropriate relationship Mr Segal had with a female patient between October 2016 to April 2019.

Mr Segal was working as a general practitioner specialising in treating skin cancer when he began treating the woman for a “high libido” that was having an impact on her marriage and social life.

The tribunal heard Mr Segal sought frequent contact with the patient over the course of their relationship because he obtained “gratification” from hearing about her “social, sexual and relationship” exploits.

The medical registration cancellation was issued in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal on Wednesday.

The Health Care Complaints Commission’s investigation showed Mr Segal had inappropriately provided his mobile phone number to the patient and called her 659 times over the course of their relationship.

The information Mr Segal sought from the patient about her social, sexual and relationship experiences was made without any “therapeutic benefit” to the patient.

The tribunal found Mr Segal touched the patient on the hands and leg and hugged her at the end of a consultation in 2016.

Mr Segal told the tribunal he “accept(ed) that my inappropriate personal relationship with (the patient) and the associated conduct amounted to unsatisfactory professional conduct” and “that this inappropriate personal relationship amounted to professional misconduct”.

“I acknowledge that by engaging in a prolonged personal relationship with (the patient) that I have breached professional boundaries and that this was wholly inappropriate and not in keeping with my professional obligations,” he said.

Shaun Segal has his medical registration cancelled on Wednesday.

“I also acknowledge that as the medical practitioner, there was an imbalance of power between (the patient) and myself and that it was therefore incumbent on me to ensure that the professional boundaries between us were upheld and that I failed my obligations to (the patient) in this regard.

“I unreservedly apologise to the (patient) for the distress that I have caused her through my actions and my failure to maintain the professional boundaries between us.”

The tribunal heard Mr Segal is now based in Western Australia and flies to Sydney to work at the Skin Cancer Only practice he founded in late 2020.

Mr Segal told the tribunal he no longer provides his mobile phone number to patients “under any circumstances”.

“(I am) deeply committed to ensuring that professional boundaries are always maintained in all of my interactions with patients moving forward in accordance with my professional obligations,” he said.

“I have made significant changes to myself and the way in which I practise medicine to ensure that this occurs.”

In its decision, the tribunal found that there had been an inappropriate and exploitative personal relationship between Mr Segal and the patient, and said Mr Segal’s actions amounted to unsatisfactory professional conduct and professional misconduct.

The tribunal issued orders cancelling his medical registration with a non-review period of one year.

“We determine that the protection of the patients and potential patients of Mr Segal, the protection of the public from similar behaviour by other practitioners (general deterrence), and the upholding of public confidence in the standards of the medical profession require that Mr Segal’s registration be cancelled,” the tribunal said.

Mr Segal has been ordered to pay 80 per cent of legal costs incurred by the Health Care Complaints Commission.