Geelong surgeon Xiao Bo Zhang resigns from Barwon Health
A Geelong heart surgeon resigned from his job at Barwon Health just days before his criminal trial was due to begin.
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A Geelong surgeon resigned from his job just days before his criminal trial was due to begin, it can be revealed.
Cardiothoracic surgeon Xiao Bo Zhang was due to front the County Court in Geelong on Monday for the start of a criminal trial after being charged with one count of dangerous driving causing death.
But the matter was resolved by Monday afternoon and Zhang, 67, pleaded guilty to the charge that stemmed from a crash in March 2022.
The three-car collision in Swan Bay claimed the life of Portarlington woman Rachel Watts and saw three people hospitalised.
Ms Watts, 35, was beloved in the equestrian community and a stalwart of the Australian Eventing Team for more than a decade.
Zhang worked as a surgeon at Barwon Health and specialised in complex procedures such as heart bypass surgery, heart valve repair and replacement, and heart transplantation.
A Barwon Health spokesman confirmed Zhang had resigned from his role at the public health provider.
It’s understood this occurred in the days leading up to this week’s court hearing.
Zhang is still a registered medical practitioner on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) register.
An AHPRA spokesman said the organisation could not comment on matters relating to individual practitioners, beyond information that is already in the public domain.
“As this matter is currently before the courts, we cannot make any further comment at this time,” the spokesman said.
“As a general comment, under the (Health Practitioner Regulation) National Law, practitioners must advise AHPRA of any serious criminal charges or other notifiable events.”
Zhang completed his fellowship at Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) in 2000.
A RACS spokeswoman said it was unable to comment on individual cases.
“As a professional body, our primary role is to support our members in delivering safe, ethical and high-quality care to patients,” the spokeswoman said.
“We set and uphold rigorous surgical standards that govern clinical practice. Patient safety remains our highest priority.
“However, our college takes matters of misconduct outside of the professional setting very seriously too and addresses such cases in accordance with our policies and procedures.”
Zhang will front court for a plea hearing on January 29.
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Originally published as Geelong surgeon Xiao Bo Zhang resigns from Barwon Health
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