About 2000 patients may have undergone incomplete colonoscopies, health services reveal

An Albury Wodonga surgeon at the centre of a colonoscopy recall has been banned from practising medicine. See if you’re affected by the recall.

The surgeon at the centre of a 2000-person colonoscopy recall has had her medical licence suspended.

Dr Liu-Ming Schmidt, who has been a registered surgeon with AHPRA for 23 years, had two conditions imposed on licence as both a specialist and general surgeon on Friday.

According to AHPRA, the strict condition “not to practise medicine” was listed against her name as per advice from the Medical Council of NSW.

Dr Liu-Ming Schmidt from Albury Surgical Group has had her licence suspended.

A second condition stated she must also consent to any exchange of information between the Medical Council of NSW and Medicare Australia to ensure her compliance with the ban.

The decision was made by the Medical Council of New South Wales on Friday in response to the damning revelation that 2000 of Dr Schmidt’s patients may need to be retested after she conducted “incomplete” colonoscopies for more than four years.

Dr Schmidt’s colonoscopy technique was first called into question by a staff member in July last year and reported to Safer Care Victoria.

Their review was finalised in December.

AHPRA has been approached for comment.

Health authorities began sending text messages and letters by express post to affected patients on Thursday and phone calls will begin on Monday.

After assessing them individually, the department will narrow down which patients will receive a follow-up colonoscopy.

“Further treatment will be prioritised in order of the level of risk identified,” a spokeswoman from Safer Care Victoria said.

“Not every patient will need a follow-up colonoscopy. Still, it is important we assess cases individually to ensure those affected are getting the care and support they need.”

Patients categorised as urgent will have an initial consultation with a clinician and a repeat colonoscopy within 30 days after the consultation.

“We will endeavour to complete all repeat colonoscopies as soon as possible, including for non-urgent patients, who should receive treatment within six months.

The Albury Wodonga Health chairman Bill Appleby said patients wouldn’t have to wait too long to receive a follow-up colonoscopy.

“We are working in partnership with fellow agencies such as Peter MacCallum hospital, the Austin Health and St Vincent’s hospital, and the two private hospitals here to deliver the colonoscopy in a timely fashion,” he said.

Patients who might have moved away from the border in the last five years can also receive care at their preferred location with all costs paid.

“Healthcare services across the state are working with us to prioritise affected patients, ensuring they receive their follow-up treatment as soon as possible,” Safer Care Victoria said.

“We will work with regional health services to minimise the need for any patients requiring a repeat colonoscopy to travel to have their procedures redone,”

“Where travel is required, patients will be supported with accommodation and transport costs.”

Chief director for Ramsay Health Group, Dr Bernadette Aether, said Albury Wodonga Private hospital would help patients get a follow-up colonoscopy in the indicated time frame.

“We understand some patients will have moved outside the border region, and we have hospitals across the country. We want to treat patients as close to their home as possible,” she said.

The recall comes after general surgeon Dr Liu-Ming Schmidt’s suspension from duty at Albury hospitals after the death of a patient post-emergency surgery.

Dr Schmidt performed breast surgery, thyroid surgery and skin cancer surgery at Albury Wodonga Health and her practice at Albury Wodonga Private Hospital primarily focused on colonoscopies.

However, no follow-ups are required for those who underwent another surgery with Dr Schmidt.

“The other types of procedures performed or supervised by Dr Schmidt were reviewed as part of this process but were not identified as a risk,” a spokeswoman said.

Affected patients and families can contact Victoria’s Health Complaints Commissioner or NSW’s Health Care Complaints Commission if they have any concerns.

Patients and families in Victoria can also submit concerns about an individual surgeon to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) here.

This is not the first time Dr Schmidt has been investigated over medical errors and she appeared late last year at a New South Wales coronial inquest into the death of a 79-year-old surgical patient.

The man died in December 2019, allegedly of complications from an earlier, emergency bowel surgery where Dr Schmidt operated in the wrong place.

The Coronial inquest is ongoing and the Herald Sun understands the inquiry was not connected to Thursday’s announcement.

A staff member reportedly raised concerns about Dr Schmidt’s colonoscopy technique in July last year and Safer Care Victoria was notified, with their review finalised in late December. She has been unable to practice at Albury Wodonga Health since August 2022 but it is unclear if she practised in private clinics as her registration is overseen by NSW authorities.

A Safer Care Victoria statement said they “understand this is a distressing issue for patients and their families and we are sorry for their experience”.

“Those affected will be contacted directly and then individually assessed to ensure any further treatment can be scheduled as soon as possible – with the most urgent patients to be seen within 30 days.”

Working in a border community, Dr Schmidt was registered in New South Wales, meaning Victorian authorities cannot cancel her health practitioner registration.

An AHPRA spokesman said the organisation did not have the jurisdiction to investigate allegations against registered surgeons based in New South Wales, compared to if they were in Victoria.

“Nor can it order conditions on their registration to protect the public while such investigations are carried out,” he said.

“Under Australia’s National Law, NSW operates with a co-regulation arrangement for registered health practitioners. This means the Health Care Complaints Commission along with the relevant NSW health professional council, is responsible for managing notifications about NSW-based practitioners.”

People impacted will be offered “support and counselling to ensure the best health outcomes, as well as peace of mind”.

Anybody with immediate concerns is urged to contact the support line on 1800-950-677.

Free and immediate support and counselling can be accessed through Safer Care Victoria’s Mental Health and Wellbeing hubs on 1300-375-330.