Doctor cleared of 'horse woman' abuse

An obstetrician accused of calling a patient a slut and telling another "you have just given birth to a family of haemorrhoids" has been cleared of making rude comments. The New South Wales Medical Tribunal also found Czech-trained Roman Hasil's behaviour, which included drink-driving offences and downing a six-pack of beer in a hospital car park, did not make him unfit to practise medicine. But the 56-year-old could be struck off for his inability to practise medicine after sustaining a brain injury.

Hasil has worked in Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria and NSW in Australia and New Zealand and in most cases left workplaces in controversial circumstances. He has already been suspended and deregistered in NSW for not paying his medical board fees. The NSW Health Care Complaints Commission submitted a complaint detailing allegations of rude behaviour and malpractice made by 15 patients while he worked at Lismore Base Hospital between 2001 and 2005. In its judgement last week the NSW Medical Tribunal found that many of the complaints could not be substantiated.



Hasil was accused of telling nurses to "stirrup the bitch" after a patient in pain kicked him in the face while he was stitching her vaginal and anal areas after she had given birth. "She stated whilst he was undertaking the stitching, he was making comments like 'horse woman, this will teach you to kick the doctor, whore, slut'," the judgment said. She also accused him of not using gloves during the procedure. Another patient alleged that when she asked Hasil if the baby was coming, "he said 'no, but you have just given birth to a family of haemorrhoids'."

Hasil was cleared of the allegations on evidence from nursing staff that they didn't recall him making those comments or the fact that the patients did not make a formal complaint soon after the incident. But Hasil suffered a head injury in 2009 that required brain surgery and the tribunal agreed that Hasil suffers an impairment that would affect his ability as a medical practitioner. The tribunal will set a date this week when it will hand down orders that could include Hasil being struck off.