- Two doctors have been accused of sexually assaulting two medical students
- The Royal Darwin Hospital has stood down the male doctors-in-training
- Two female Flinders University students on placement were allegedly assaulted
Two doctors have been accused of sexually assaulting medical students doing placements at a Darwin hospital.
The Royal Darwin Hospital says it has stood down the male doctors-in-training following allegations from two female Flinders University students.
‘There were two doctors, two incidents,’ the hospital’s director of medical services Alison Maclean told reporters on Saturday.
Two doctors have been accused of sexually assaulting two medical students (stock image)
‘They (the doctors) were in the same division but the incidents don’t appear to be related.
‘At the moment we have not referred the matter to the police because we still don’t have the names of the students or when the incidents occurred.’
One of the suspended doctors was completing extra training at the Royal Darwin Hospital while another had been working there for about four years.
The hospital found out about the alleged assaults on Wednesday and reported them to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
Student placements in the alleged perpetrators’ division were also suspended amid an investigation.
‘We’re pretty confident that our culture is not something that promotes this sort of behaviour. In fact, we come down on it very heavily,’ Ms Maclean said.
The Royal Darwin Hospital (pictured) has stood down two male doctors (stock image)
‘We are hoping that Flinders University will encourage the students to make a referral to the police.’
The students complained to a medical insurer, which approached Flinders University.
The university said student safety was paramount, and welcomed the Top End Health Service’s strong and swift response to the complaints.
APHRA said it was looking into possible regulatory action against the doctors.