Doctors suspended after Harjit Kaur’s death at Hampton Park Women’s Health Clinic

Two more doctors have been suspended after a beloved mum died shortly after surgery at a women’s health clinic in Hampton Park.

Harjit Kaur died shortly after surgery at the Hampton Park Women’s Health Clinic. Source: GoFundMe

Two more doctors have been suspended after a Melbourne mum died shortly after surgery at a local women’s health clinic earlier this year.

Beloved mum-of-two Harjit Kaur died after a surgical abortion in January at Hampton Park Women’s Health Clinic.

The clinic’s director, Dr Michelle Kenney, and the anaesthetist from Mrs Kaur’s surgery, Dr Tony Chow, have now been banned from practising medicine anywhere in Australia by the regulator.

Her heartbroken husband, Sukhjinder Singh, welcomed the news on Monday that more clinicians had been suspended.

The Herald Sun is not suggesting that Dr Chow, Dr Kenney or any other staff at the clinic were responsible for Mrs Kaur’s death, and the cause is still under investigation by the Coroner.

Hampton Park Women’s Health Clinic Director Dr Michelle Kenney.

An Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency spokesman said it could not comment on why the two doctors were suspended.

Public records suggest the anaesthetist, Dr Tony Chow, was not allowed to be working at Hampton Park on the day Mrs Kaur died.

AHPRA’s register showed there were several conditions on Dr Chow’s medical registration, including that he was only allowed to practise at permitted locations approved by the Medical Board of Australia.

He had permission to work at Knox Private Hospital but Hampton Park Women’s Health Clinic was not listed as an approved location.

Prior to her ban, Dr Kenney also had conditions imposed on her registration — including that she was only allowed to work during the day and for a certain number of hours each week — but she had previously told the Herald Sun these were for a personal matter.

Family friend Suresh Rajan, speaking on behalf of Mrs Kaur’s husband Sukhjinder Singh, said he was thankful AHPRA had followed through with its investigation.

“Let us all hope that this will mean someone else will not have to go through the trauma that we have to date,” he said.

Melbourne dad Sukhjinder Singh is still looking for answers after the tragic and sudden death of his wife, Harjit Kaur on January 12. Pictured: supplied

Mr Singh previously paid tribute to his wife as a dedicated and loving mother.

“She had so many dreams,” he said.

Dr Kenney has always denied any clinical wrongdoing by Hampton Park, and had blasted authorities’ response to Mrs Kaur’s tragic death as a “witch hunt”.

Dr Kenney said the decision was “unjust and illogical” and she would challenge it at VCAT.

“Myself and all of my doctors have come under scrutiny by APHRA, whether we were present at Mrs Kaur ‘s death or not, Whether the Coroner has ruled his verdict or not,” she said.

“I am the political scapegoat for a decision that has not yet been verified.

“There are no laws in the process of immediate suspension and hence APHRA can decide what they want.”

She accused AHPRA of only acting so “it appears they are doing something”.

“I won’t be able to feed my children next week and my daughter turns 18,” she said.

“I can’t buy her a present.”

Three clinicians connected to the clinic have now been suspended, with the gynaecologist and obstetrician who operated on Mrs Kaur, Dr Rudy Lopes, banned from medicine earlier this year for unspecified reasons.

The latest suspensions come two months after AHPRA chief executive Martin Fletcher announced on March 15 that it was “gravely concerned by the picture emerging” at the clinic and were investigating a range of issues.

The clinic is still unable to conduct surgery, banned in late February after “serious issues” were identified during inspections triggered by Mrs Kaur’s death.

Authorities said, during these visits, they discovered separate “patient safety risks” at the clinic and subsequently suspended their surgical accreditation.

Their investigation was widened to a number of other private day procedure clinics which offer surgical termination of pregnancy procedures, but earlier this month a spokeswoman said their probe into other clinics had finished. Hampton Park was the only location that had its accreditation suspended.

Mrs Kaur had two young children, aged just two and four.