A doctor who was abused as a child by GP says system is skewed against victims.
The victim, now a doctor, tells royal commission he was shocked that paedophile doctor John ROLLESTON could continue practising medicine after sexual abuse came to light.
A senior doctor, who was sexually abused as a child by a GP, has said the profession’s response to complaints is grossly inadequate and skewed in favour of doctors.
The doctor was sexually molested by John ROLLESTON in the 1970s at a private practice in St Ives, Sydney.
The doctor, known by the pseudonym “AWF” at a royal commission hearing where he is giving evidence, said after reading of ROLLESTON’s arrest in 2011, he did further research.
AWF said he found out ROLLESTON had been prohibited by the NSW Medical Board in 2009 from providing any medical service to patients between 11 and 18 years of age. The Board became the Medical Council of NSW in 2010.
AWF said when he was abused for a second time by ROLLESTON he was outside that age range set by the Board.
“I remember feeling shocked and angry that ROLLESTON was allowed to continue practising medicine,” he said.
He said on Thursday he was a patient of ROLLESTON from the ages of 13 to 20.
AWF had studied as an intern at the Royal North Shore Hospital in St Leonards, Sydney, and found that by then ROLLESTON was a senior doctor there.
He said he avoided him and did not raise the subject of child sexual abuse because he feared in those days it would “have more serious professional repercussions for me than for ROLLESTON”.
AWF said when he saw the limited restrictions the Medical Board had placed on ROLLESTON he was concerned he could continue abusing people.
The commission is hearing from seven people who were victims of ROLLESTON’s abuse at private practices in Sydney and at the Royal North Shore Hospital.
ROLLESTON was deregistered in 2013 – two years after he was jailed and can reapply to practise again after four years, i.e. 2017.
He is now 79, has been granted parole and is in poor health.
“For the habitual nature of the most serious of allegations against ROLLESTON, the conditions imposed by the NSW Medical Board and Medical Tribunal on his continual medical practice, were I believe, were grossly inadequate and not in the best interests of the complainants,” AWF told the commission.
He said they were skewed in favour of the doctor at the expense of the patient.
AWF said he would suggest a policy change where doctors deregistered for serious child sexual abuse should not be allowed re-apply for registration after four years.
AAP, Thursday 7 May 2015