More women will come forward against doctor: accuser
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Dr Roman Hasil worked at the Lismore Base Hospital for four years. (ABC: File photo)
One of 10 women who have made complaints against a former New South Wales obstetrician says she knows of other women who are yet to come forward.
Casino resident Connie Scholl complained to Lismore Base Hospital in northern NSW five years ago about the way she was treated by obstetrician Roman Hasil when she gave birth in 2002.
Ten women who were treated at the hospital by the overseas-trained doctor between 2001 and 2005 have this year made allegations against him to the Health Care Complaints Commission.
The North Coast Area Health Service has apologised to Ms Scholl for inadequately investigating her original concerns.
She says she knows of at least three other women who are yet to come forward. Ms Scholl is calling for national standards for the registration of doctors.
"They should set a huge boundary on doctors coming into this country and really, really test them out before letting them loose on patients," she said.
She says other women should not be afraid to complain if they feel they have been mistreated.
"Stand up and be a real woman and stand up for your sisters and stand up for your mothers and stand up for your daughters," she said.
"Be counted because you've got one opportunity and it's now. Don't waste an opportunity."
The North Coast Area Health Service says it has worked with patients to help them lodge complaints about Dr Hasil.
The chief executive of the area health service, Chris Crawford, says he has met Ms Scholl to apologise for what happened to her.
Mr Crawford says the hospital's complaints system was also reviewed by senior management during that time and has since been improved.
"It also enabled us to find out more information from the complainant and we assisted her to make complaints to the police and also to the medical board," he said.
"Therefore the follow up by the Clinical Governance Unit of the Area Health Service was appropriate in the circumstances."
He says the health service did actively investigate Dr Hasil's work.
"As a result of receiving those complaints, we assessed them together with the women and passed them onto the Medical Board for full investigation," he said.
"The doctor had left Lismore Base Hospital in 2005 and then gone to work in Victoria therefore he was not sacked arising from these particular complaints, however he was under investigation."
Rogue doctor rules
The New South Wales Branch of the Australian Medical Association says the recent introduction of mandatory reporting requirements will help to prevent rogue doctors from practising in the state.
The AMA's Dr Brian Morton says the mandatory reporting laws, which took effect last week, will yield significant improvements in the way complaints are managed.
"There are standards of behaviour of doctors and there's expectations of the community as to what's a normal physical examination," he said.
"If a patient feels they've been mistreated, then contact the medical board, contact the Health Complaints Commission and ask for proper investigation of those complaints."
NSW Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell says the complaints highlight the need for the State Government to support the Opposition's proposed legislation requiring mandatory background checks before doctors are employed.
"This is a State Government that time and time again simply treats symptoms, it's a State Government that refuses to address fundamental flaws within the health system," he said.
"That's why we're calling upon it to support our legislation that would require compulsory background and qualification checks before doctors were employed."
Mr O'Farrell has called on NSW Health Minister John Della Bosca to order an independent investigation into the allegations.
Mr Della Bosca says he is deeply concerned and it is important the allegations are dealt with properly.
"I'll be making sure [the complaints are] dealt with compassionately and with concern," he said.
