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A disgraced former Wanganui gynaecologist who removed a woman's ovaries without her knowledge has moved to Australia with plans to keep practising medicine.
The Herald has learned that Roman Hasil, who fled the country leaving a legacy of failed sterilisations and unconsented surgeries in Wanganui, has been registered with the Medical Board of Queensland since October.
But his registration there could be a short one, as the board now says it will review Health and Disability Commissioner Ron Patterson's report.
Medical Board of Queensland chairwoman Dr Mary Cohn said a "notice to show cause" to Dr Hasil in relation to his registration was being considered following the report, which was the result of an inquiry into Dr Hasil and the Whanganui District Health Board.
She said he was granted registration "in the absence of any adverse findings in October 2007" after checks showed he was not facing any complaints or disciplinary proceedings in any Australian states.
But Dr Cohn said the New Zealand Medical Council later told the board the Health and Disability Commissioner had started an inquiry into Dr Hasil.
It is not known when an announcement on Dr Hasil will be made.
Meanwhile, Whanganui District Health Board chief executive Memo Musa said the incident involving Dr Hasil was preventable.
It was a "combination of errors" compounded by a clinician shortage in Wanganui, placing the hospital s obstetric and gynaecological team under significant work pressure.
Mr Musa, who the Herald understands was talking to affected patients yesterday, did not return calls.
But in a statement he said the board had taken steps to ensure such incidents never occurred again.
Among the changes it plans are improved checks on references and credentials and better reporting of staff concerns and incidents.
Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws, a Whanganui board member, did not know whether Mr Musa's position would be discussed at a board meeting this Friday.
But he said the implications of the commissioner's report were serious.
"I can say the position of the chief executive is an issue we will clearly address at some time and probably sooner rather than later."
Mr Laws said it would be mischievous to suggest Mr Musa was the only person at fault.
"The blame in the report is pretty equally spread, but from the board's point of view we will be assessing what changes need to be made and one might expect that could be personnel."
The chairman of the Medical Council of New Zealand, Professor John Campbell, said Dr Hasil's situation was a wake-up call for the council's own procedures.
Mr Laws said the medical council had "egg on its face" because it had not properly identified Dr Hasil as a risk.
But Professor Campbell said the council had not received all the information it needed on Dr Hasil's background from the Whanganui health board.
"One of the referees had been critical in his report of Hasil and we never got a copy of that report," he said.
"So what we have asked the DHBs and PHOs to do is to provide us with all the referees' reports whether they are supportive or not."
Background checks going back further than the current three years also "needed to be looked at".
But an influx of overseas doctors, many only here for short periods, and an urgent need for hospitals to hire staff made things harder, he said.
"The difficulty is when a vacancy is there, the DHB or PHO want the person as soon as possible. These things take time, so it's a balance between time and the extent of the checking."
