The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal found that Dr Bruno Giorgio had misdiagnosed a case of sexual assault in a nine-year-old girl.
He had also failed to obtain informed consent for the examination, the tribunal found.
“His misconduct is somewhat extraordinary and ... continues to devastate the family,” the tribunal said in its written judgment.
Dr Giorgio was an experienced obstetrician and gynaecologist, then serving as clinical director of obstetrics and gynaecology at GV Health in Shepparton.
Dr Giorgio was also investigated for prescribing medications for himself, including drugs of dependence, diazepam, temazepam and oxycodone, and for his family.
Dr Giorgio examined the young girl at GV Health in 2018 after she attended with abdominal pain.
He examined her intimately under anaesthesia.
He told the girl’s mother about his findings, saying sexual abuse was the “only possibility” for abnormalities.
Dr Giorgio then failed to follow the usual practice of referring the girl to a children's hospital for a forensic examination.
The girl’s mother was distressed at the news and sought a second opinion from the Victorian Forensic Paediatric Medical Service.
The service later examined the nine-year-old and found she had no abnormalities or evidence of recent trauma.
There was no dispute that Dr Giorgio ought to have, but failed to, refer the young patient for a forensic examination in light of his suspicions regarding sexual abuse.
“It is clear that the VFPMS forensic examination, which resulted in the ruling out of sexual abuse, was conducted at the instigation of (the patient’s) mother. Dr Giorgio did not make a referral or take any other steps to assist,” the tribunal found.
During the hearing at the tribunal, Dr Giorgio disputed he told the girl’s mother sexual assault was the “only possibility”.
He also argued he had the adequate experience and knowledge to make his findings.
But the tribunal found Dr Giorgio had engaged in professional misconduct and made findings without adequate experience or knowledge in paediatric gynaecology.
The patient’s mother told the tribunal the incorrect diagnosis made her “fearful of male doctors”, produced an “extreme fear of hospitals, which developed into a phobia of needles” and resulted in her suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety.
The gynaecologist was also found to have engaged in professional misconduct by prescribing medication to family members and making inappropriate comments to colleagues and patients.
The tribunal found that “Dr Giorgio was not, at the time, a fit and proper person to hold registration”.
The tribunal looked at several instances of remarks made to patients and staff, and also an instance where a woman in the early stages of pregnancy presented at the hospital.
“Dr Giorgio failed to introduce himself or explain the purpose of his attendance. Instead, he proceeded to pull down the patient’s pants and underwear to look at the pad she was wearing (as a result of her waters breaking),” the tribunal found.
The tribunal reprimanded Dr Giorgio and disqualified him from registering as a health practitioner for 12 months.
He retired from medical practice in 2020 while the Medical Board of Australia was still investigating the allegations.
GV Health was asked what had been done about oversight at the hospital since the above occurred and chief executive Matt Sharp said GV Health had conducted an internal review and made improvements.
“We have been in contact with the family and acknowledge this is a very difficult time for them,” Mr Sharp said.
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