Disgraced doctor Mike Yeo disqualified after having sex with teen mum

A doctor who had sex with a teenage patient in his clinic’s pathology room has had his medical license revoked, but the clinic says he stepped down for a different reason.

A photo of Dr Mike Yeo, uploaded on to the Swansea Rd Clinic Facebook page on Thursday, announcing his “retirement” for health reasons. He was actually deregistered by VCAT, via the Medical Board, two days prior.

A doctor who groomed a depressed teen mother and had sex with her in his medical clinic’s pathology room has been stripped of his medical licence.

Dr Michael Yeo, 62, of Montrose’s Swansea Road Clinic on Wednesday had his registration cancelled by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) for having sex with – and sending inappropriate texts to – a patient who was just 19 at the time.

He is the latest in a string of Victorian doctors to be sanctioned this year, following Geelong plastic surgeon Ian Holten who had sex with a patient on his yacht and Melbourne’s Dr Shaun Rathnayake who booked a hotel room and stayed overnight with a patient.

Dr Mike Yeo has had his medical licence cancelled after having sex with a teenage patient

Twenty-two Victorian medical practitioners have been suspended by the Medical Board of Australia or VCAT so far this year, and two deregistered.

The Swansea Road Clinic on Thursday posted a Facebook message saying Dr Yeo was “announcing his retirement … due to ongoing health issues related to his cardiac illness”.

Swansea Road Clinic told its patients on Facebook Dr Mike Yeo was retiring because of bad heart health, after he had in fact been stripped of his medical registration.

“He would like to thank all the staff, loyal patients and friends he has encountered during his 39 years in Montrose,” the post said.

The Tribunal was told Dr Yeo – a practice partner – was 54 and married to the clinic manager when the sex took place in mid-2011.

The young woman – who he had been treating for depression – was the daughter of another of his patients, and he had known her since she was a little girl.

He had sex with the young, single mother three times – at least once in a clinic pathology room during a consultation – knowing how vulnerable she was, the Tribunal found.

“In the Tribunal’s view this constituted grooming of a young and vulnerable patient who had been known to Dr Yeo since she was a child,” it said in ordering his medical registration be cancelled.

VCAT, via the Medical Board, found Dr Yeo had groomed the young woman.

“That vulnerability was exacerbated by the relationship of trust which existed as a result of Dr Yeo having been her family doctor for a lengthy period of time and the significant age difference between them.”

Dr Yeo had made “ongoing and vigorous denials and attacks” on the victim and his “lack of frankness with the Board” had played a part in the long delay in the matter being finalised, the Tribunal said.

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He had also failed to demonstrate any insight into the inappropriate nature of his conduct.

The transgressions followed a notification to the Medical Board in March 2010, where a finding was made “Dr Yeo had engaged in unprofessional conduct with respect to transgressing the patient/doctor boundary with another female patient”, and was ordered to have counselling.

In a statement to the Sunday Herald Sun yesterday Dr Yeo said his family and patients were “devastated” and he planned to appeal the decision.

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