Dr. Daryl Stephens, a urologist based in Queensland, is currently under scrutiny by the Office of the Health Ombudsman following allegations of misconduct during his time at Mackay Base Hospital in 2022. The health regulator has taken immediate registration action against Dr. Stephens, imposing various conditions on his practice. These conditions require him to be supervised by another urologist with at least 10 years of experience during specific medical procedures involving lesions, tumours, kidney stones, and abnormal bodily tissue cells.
In addition to supervision requirements, conditions have been set regarding how Dr. Stephens handles tissue samples and the procedures for sending them for testing. Despite attempts by the ABC to contact Dr. Stephens for comment, his current location remains unknown. Records from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency show that Dr. Stephens has been registered since 1974, with his registration current until September 2024.
In 2018, Dr. Stephens faced a $30,000 fine for misconduct by the Western Australia State Administrative Tribunal due to a failure to promptly inform a patient of their diagnosis after not reading their pathology report for up to three months. Furthermore, in 2001, Dr. Stephens was acquitted of wilful murder in Western Australia in a controversial case involving the alleged administration of a fatal dose of medication to a terminal cancer patient, which was characterized as a euthanasia case. Despite these past incidents, the recent allegations at Mackay Base Hospital have led to Dr. Stephens no longer practicing there since his suspension in 2022, necessitating the engagement of private specialists from afar to fill the gap in urology services.