A medical specialist has been ordered to pay costs of almost $19,000 after a patient complained about his blunt-speaking manner.
The doctor, who told the patient that cancer would probably kill him, and joked during a painful prostate examination, was found guilty in August of conduct unbecoming.
He is appealing to theDistrict Court.
The Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal found the doctor had breached an obligation to treat his patient with kindness, care and dignity.
Yesterday it said Dr C, as he is known until name suppression is decided, should be formally censured and ordered to pay costs of $18,921.
It said his behaviour justified a disciplinary sanction at the "lower end of the spectrum of penalties" and a fine was not necessary.
Dr C recently attended a six-hour intensive communications programme designed for doctors.
The patient, who consulted Dr C three times in 2000, complained the man's manner was unprofessional and caused stress.
The specialist commented during a painful ultra-sound scan of the patient's prostate: "What's the matter with you? Lots of people do this for fun."
The patient went to Auckland for a second opinion from a surgeon, who later performed a radical prostatectomy.
