Doctor who altered case notes fined

Virginia Duncan, who died of bowel cancer after telling her GP numerous times of her abdominal pain.

Name suppression has been lifted for a doctor found guilty of professional misconduct after a patient died of bowel cancer.

Dr Harriet Martin, an Auckland general practitioner, was found by the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal to have misled health authorities over failures to order tests and altering medical documents.

The tribunal, in a decision released this week, censured Dr Martin and ordered her to pay a $15,000 fine and costs of $20,000.

Dr Martin has appealed.

Virginia Duncan, 43, died of bowel cancer in February 2003 after complaining to Dr Martin numerous times of constipation and abdominal pain since September 2001.

Of the 10 charges levelled against Dr Martin, she was found guilty of five, including failure to refer Ms Duncan for further tests such as a colonoscopy, making undated and retrospective additions to her medical notes and deliberately misleading the Health and Disability Commissioner about the additions.

However, the tribunal stressed that there was no criticism of Dr Martin for failing to diagnose Ms Duncan's bowel cancer.

It said such a diagnosis might not have been successfully made, even if Dr Martin had taken the appropriate steps.

- NZPA