McGinity considers legal action

BY DANIELLE BLEWETT HEALTH REPORTER
03 Feb, 2010 01:00 AM

SCOTTSDALE GP Paul McGinity might consider legal action to recover some of his costs after spending $250,000 on locum doctors since claims about his medical competence were raised with the Medical Council of Tasmania.

Yesterday, president of the council Dr Peter Sexton did not respond to questions about the January meeting of the council and potential legal action by Dr McGinity.

But a spokesman for the doctor’s support group, Brian Khan, said the cost of locums combined with the personal cost could lead to legal action by the doctor.

Mr Khan said the medical council’s demand that Dr McGinity undertake to practise under locum supervision had cost the doctor dearly.

“The ongoing saga has cost him $250,000 which was a medical council requirement that has since been lifted,” Mr Khan said.

He said he believed Dr McGinity was investigating his legal options once the claims are resolved.

“The investigation is only half complete. The council said it would complete the issue by its January meeting and it hasn’t. It still won’t provide a time-frame and has not accepted an offer of resources from the Health Department to expedite the matters,” Mr Khan said.

“After 10 months, only half of the allegations have been processed and they have been dismissed.”

It is understood that at its January meeting, the council dismissed two more claims of the 21 that led to the doctor’s suspension in April last year.

One of the claims dismissed in January involved a deceased patient.

DO you reckon its because Peter Sexton has been at the Cricket?

If he was suspended because he “was working too hard”, how would the workload on the other local doctors be now?

Should they also be suspended?

I suppose Dr. McGinity makes Lala Giddings and the other Labor pollies and top level bureaucrats look like the bunch of overpaid bludgers they are.