A doctor has been censured and ordered to pay $20,000 by the NZ Health and Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal for putting patient safety at risk.
The doctor faced two charges of professional misconduct laid against him by the Professional Conduct Committee (PCC), appointed by the Medical Council of NZ.
In the first charge, it was alleged that the doctor failed to review a patient admitted under his care, potentially compromising her care and safety.
The doctor was also alleged to have failed to return to hospital to supervise the registrar who was performing a Hartmann's procedure on a patient.
A patient suffering from Crohn's disease was admitted to the hospital and placed under the doctor's care, who was the consultant general surgeon on call that day.