A Report from the Herald Sun in Australia
Dr Jerry Gelb - suspended from treating patients over the gun incident early last year - is facing further sanctions from the Medical Practitioners Board over his relationship with the patient.
The board heard this week that Dr Gelb was a "naive and inexperienced" psychiatrist in his first year of practice when he began a sexual relationship with a woman he was treating for bulimia and emotional problems in the 1980s.
The woman only complained about the relationship in 2005.
Last year the County Court sentenced Dr Gelb to a 12-month intensive corrections order after he walked into the Magistrates' Court with a loaded .22 calibre Ruger pistol and ammunition in his backpack on February 1, 2007.
The Medical Practitioners Board suspended Dr Gelb's medical licence pending its own hearing into the incident later.
This week the board heard Dr Gelb had rejected the initial advances of his patient.
But when she asked the then young doctor to her birthday, Dr Gelb accepted, buying her a drink before they began kissing on the dance floor and later spending the night together.
When the patient's friend died the next day, and she asked Dr Gelb for help, he invited her to his Toorak home and they again ended up kissing and embracing.
At the patient's psychiatric appointment the following day, Dr Gelb instead took her to lunch and insisted the doctor-patient relationship had to end because he had feelings for her.
Counsel assisting the board, Andrew Clements, asked for Dr Gelb's licence to be suspended because he had abused the doctor-patient relationship.
Dr Gelb's lawyer, Bob Galbally, said a reprimand would be an appropriate sanction.
The board has adjourned to make its decision.
1 comment:
Please note that this relationship began when the female concerned was actually a former patient. No guidelines were in existence in Australia re former patients until 1992. The doctor married the woman and they have a 14 year old daughter. The complaint was made in the setting of the doctor/ex-husband trying to obtain 50/50 shared care of their daughter.
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