Inquest told cancer doctor on suicide watch
The doctor who is a key figure in a coronial inquest investigating the deaths of five cancer patients who were receiving radical treatment at her Mosman Park home is under suicide watch in hospital, the Coroner's Court was told today.
Dr Alexandra Boyd's lawyer Richard Lawson told Deputy State Coroner Evelyn Vicker that Dr Boyd was under 15-minute observations at the Alma St psychiatric ward at Fremantle Hospital after attempting to take her own life at her home last Tuesday night.
"This was not a cry for help. This was a very serious suicide attempt," Mr Lawson told the court.
Dr Boyd was set to give evidence at the inquest next week.
Mr Lawson said it appeared what had "tipped her over the edge" was her psychiatrist changing his mind and intending to tell the court he believed she was fit to give evidence, which contradicted the psychiatrist's earlier letter to the court.
Mr Lawson said he had not spoken to Dr Boyd, but she has given him written instructions to continue representing her at the inquest.
The inquest is examining the 2005 deaths of late-stage cancer patients, Sandra McCarty, 53 of Victoria, Pia Bosso, 68 of NSW, Marmion woman Sandra Kokalis, 52, American woman Deborah Gruber, 42 and Perth man Carmelo Vinciullo, 29, who were charged between $20,000 to $40,000 for the treatment at Dr Boyd's Mosman Park home.
The cesium chloride and solvent treatment therapy was the brainchild of banned and jailed former Austrian doctor Hellfried Sartori, also known as Abdul-Haqq Sartori.
Meanwhile at the inquest today, Darwin nurse Simone Phasey, who flew to Perth to help run the therapy at Dr Boyd's home, told the inquest that towards the end, the Perth clinic felt like a "war zone" because they didn't have enough nurses to care for the patients but they tried to do all they could.
Ms Phasey said the Perth clinic would not have been possible without Dr Boyd, because they needed a doctor to keep an eye on patients' welfare.
She said she had expected Dr Boyd to be more present at the clinic, and when Mrs McCarty was rushed to hospital she rang Dr Boyd, who told her to ring the Australian Locum Medical Service to "legitimise her attendance".
Ms Phasey said Dr Boyd "seemed reluctant" to attend the hospital, but when she came she spoke to another doctor briefly before saying something to Mrs McCarty like "I don't like your chances", before leaving.
Ms Phasey admitting telling Mrs McCarty's daughter on the way to the hospital not to mention Mr Sartori's name or the treatment to anyone because Mr Sartori's visa was being processed and she did not want to anything to jeopardise him from being allowed to enter Australia.
The inquest continues.
