PROBLEM DOCTORS HOOKED ON DRUGS

MORE than 170 doctors around Australia are addicted to drugs they
carry in their medical bags.

The powerful drugs, such as pethidine and morphine, are unaccountable
emergency supplies.

But doctors are also using false prescriptions and theft to feed
habits of up to 15 doses of pethidine a day, a Herald Sun
investigation has shown.

Almost all the drug-addicted doctors are still practising, under the
supervision of their state medical boards.

The Australian Medical Association and the state boards are
investigating drug and alcohol abuse.

The Herald Sun has learned 174 doctors are under supervision for drug
abuse and 50 more are watched for alcoholism.

In Victoria 38 are being supervised for drug abuse and five for
alcohol abuse.

The NSW figure is 40 (drugs), 40 (alcohol) and 20 (psychiatric).

The figures relate only to doctors whose problems have
surfaced.

Pethidine is the favored drug for addicted doctors, then morphine and
softer drugs such as Valium.

A Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria spokeswoman said: "A number
of doctors are undertaking random urine analysis.

"Doctors ring a phone number daily to determine whether they need to
attend for urine analysis."

The spokeswoman said the board was developing an early management and
rehabilitation program.

"Such a program would have in-patient and outpatient facilities," she
said. "The board would only need to be involved when doctors failed to
comply with treatment, placing the community at risk."

The spokeswoman said the board could suspend any medical
practitioner's registration when public safety was in jeopardy.

Use of medical bag drugs was almost halved after a recent Health
Insurance Commission study of almost 100 addicted doctors. The fall
saved taxpayers $43,000. AMA vice-president Dr Sandra Hacker said:
"Stress, long hours and emotional commitment all make some doctors
vulnerable to addiction."

She said the doctors' bags gave ready access to drugs such as
pethidine but drugs were also available through surgeries or using
false prescriptions.

"Doctors who have a drug or alcohol dependency know all the tricks to
not get caught," Dr Hacker said.

Commission spokesman Ralph Watzlaff said many doctors did not know the
doctor's bag was only for emergencies.

"Some doctors were ordering drugs when sufficient supplies were
already there," he said.

"Other doctors are also hoarding drugs or supplying the medical
cabinet in the surgery out of the doctor's bag.

"Where doctors are prescribing a large amount of drugs to a small
number of patients it rings alarm bells."

Checked-by: (trikydik)