NSW doctor disqualified from practising
A NSW drug-addicted doctor has been disqualified from practising after prescribing "bizarre" treatment to patients and pretending to pick up scripts on their behalf.
The Health Care Complaints Commissions took Dr Kim Street to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal seeking to prevent the 61-year-old from practising due to professional misconduct.
In a hearing on the matter this year, Dr Street admitted he had battled with an addiction to drugs of varying intensity from 2002 to 2012.
From 2004 to 2006 the former psychiatrist said he was so "deeply in the throes" of amphetamine addiction that he was taking up to 75 tablets a day of the prescription drug dexamphetamine.
In a bid to support his addictive behaviour, the tribunal heard that from 2010 to 2011 Dr Street embarked on a sustained pattern of deceptive conduct.
He fabricated patient prescriptions and pretended to pick up medication on their behalf from pharmacists.
He also prescribed dexamphetamine to patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In retrospect, Dr Street conceded it was "bizarre treatment" and he would "absolutely not" consider prescribing the drug for patients with PTSD in the future.
In handing down their decision on Wednesday, the tribunal said Dr Street's conduct was of the "gravest kind".
"Not only did Dr Street engage in self-abusive behaviour that affected his competence to practise, he also implicated unknowingly his patients in his pattern of deception," it said.
Over the past two years Dr Street had shown remorse, taken proactive steps to rehabilitate himself and had won the confidence of colleagues to return to work, it found.
But the tribunal said it was still "too early" for him to resume practice and ordered that he be disqualified from practising for at least 18 months.
