Arabic version: منع طبيب عام في جنوب أستراليا بسبب مخالفات في الوصفات الطبية

According to ABC News, South Australian GP Richard Taverner has been reprimanded and barred from practising for one year after a tribunal found he prescribed addictive opioid medication to a patient and then bought it from them for his own use.

The South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal found Dr Taverner, 43, entered the arrangement with a patient dependent on prescription medication in about mid-2019. It said he prescribed oxycodone, which the patient had dispensed at a pharmacy before giving it to the doctor. Dr Taverner provided cash to cover the prescription, with the patient retaining any change.

The tribunal described the arrangement as professional misconduct and said the conduct “fell significantly below” expectations of a GP. It found the conduct was dangerous to both the patient and doctor and involved exploitation over a lengthy period.

The tribunal also found Dr Taverner prescribed drugs in relatives’ names for his personal use during 2018 and 2019, misappropriated oxycodone from a practice medication store, and failed to maintain adequate clinical records. It said he deleted prescriptions and inaccurately recorded consultations in an effort to conceal the arrangement.

Restrictions were placed on Dr Taverner in June 2022. The tribunal said he took full responsibility, had not recorded a positive result during intensive drug testing, and had supports to reduce relapse risk. It cancelled his registration last month and said a longer ban would have applied if he had not successfully rehabilitated from addiction.