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ABC News
6 minutes ago
- ABC News
Patients speak out after Brisbane doctor accused of 'excessive' pap smears, kissing woman on lips
Former patients of a Brisbane doctor accused of performing an "excessive" number of pap smears on seven women and kissing one patient on the lips say they feel "violated". The Office of the Health Ombudsman (OHO) has filed disciplinary proceedings against the retired doctor in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) for 25 allegations of professional misconduct relating to seven patients. Dr Stellios (Stan) Theodoros, a former general practitioner and co-owner of Wellers Hill Medical Centre in Brisbane, is alleged to have administered pap smears, breast checks and pelvic examinations that were not clinically indicated, nor reasonably required. OHO alleges that Dr Theodoros did not keep adequate and accurate medical records for all seven patients, failed to maintain professional boundaries with five, and did not exercise reasonable care and skill for three. The allegations span from 2002 to 2015. For two patients, they also relate to skin checks. Beverley Glen*, a former patient of Dr Theodoros, told the ABC he was the first practitioner to perform a pap smear on her, and she had trusted his medical opinion. But over time, she became uncomfortable with the frequency of checks and how they were conducted. "One time, he was doing a breast check and said 'they're very soft breasts'. I remember thinking, 'that's odd'," she said. Beverley said she had been seeing Dr Theodoros for almost a decade when another practitioner noticed something unusual in her medical records. "She said, 'I don't know why you're seeing him every year for a pap smear'," Beverley said. She claims on some occasions, Dr Theodoros asked her if she would like to come in early to get a pap smear before the business opened, which she declined. She said she attempted to see other doctors but would often end up back on Dr Theodoros's list. "He'd call me on the phone when I tried to see someone else," Beverley said. "I got more and more uncomfortable." The ombudsman received an initial notification about Dr Theodoros in 2015 from another doctor at the practice, who raised allegations that he performed an "excessive" number of pap smears, kissed a patient on the lips, and inappropriately touched a patient. According to the documents, the 73-year-old is also accused of exchanging text messages with patients, and in one instance, allegedly asked a woman to strip naked after a pap smear so he could conduct a breast and skin check. Dr Theodoros does not deny that the examinations occurred, that some medical records were not kept, or that he texted some patients. However, he disputes the "clinical indication and need for the examinations, whether the examinations were conducted appropriately, and whether professional boundaries were maintained", QCAT documents state. Another former patient of Dr Theodoros, Charlotte White*, said she was not in a good place when she started seeing the practitioner. She felt vulnerable, and was being treated for a mental health condition. Charlotte said she had an abnormal result on a pap smear test, but a follow-up biopsy ruled out any problems. Despite the negative result, Charlotte said she was required to have a pap smear every six months for up to two years. "I was really anxious because of (my mental health)," she told ABC News. "The high frequency of pap smears continued beyond the recommended timeframe, and the examinations became more invasive." Charlotte said Dr Theodoros was performing frequent internal exams, which she believes were unnecessary. "I think because of the anxiety that I had, I was probably more vulnerable to it," she said. Mr Theodoros has attempted to have the QCAT proceedings thrown out, arguing he is retired, and the allegations are from a long time ago. He claimed some paragraphs relating to allegations the health checks were excessive should be struck out as "frivolous, vexatious or misconceived", and were lacking in substance or an abuse of process. QCAT member David Reid declined to do so. He told the tribunal last October that it was a "matter of concern" that the ongoing proceedings had "taken so long". The matter reached the tribunal five-and-a-half years after the first complaint was lodged about Dr Theodoros. Dr Reid said while Dr Theodoros would "no doubt" never practice again, the matter should not be struck out. "The detection and punishment of doctors who engage in misconduct does have the effect of promoting the safe and competent conduct of all practitioners," he said. The Medical Board of Australia imposed immediate conditions on Dr Theodoros' registration in 2016 while an investigation was underway. Under these conditions, he was not allowed to have contact with any female patient without the presence of a board-approved chaperone, nor was he permitted to perform any gynaecological procedure. Dr Theodoros stopped seeing female patients before this action was taken and voluntarily complied with the conditions until his retirement in 2021. He surrendered his registration in 2022. Beverley is frustrated that he was able to keep practising until his retirement. "A couple of conditions were slapped on him, and then it's ignored for years," she said. "I would not have agreed to [do these exams] if I knew I didn't have to. No-one would volunteer to do it." Charlotte feels that more action should have been taken, and sooner. "At the time, I did not fully appreciate the extent of the problem or limits of [the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency's] powers to respond," she said. "I may have taken further action if I had known the complaint would result in such a drawn-out process." She said without the ABC reporting the incident, "no-one, except the people it's happened to, knows that it's happened". "I feel like it's entirely possible that this isn't an isolated incident, that it's happening by other doctors elsewhere." Contact Investigative Reporter Eden Gillespie at or *Names have been changed.
News.com.au
36 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Melbourne Storm records its highest ever membership tally for 2025
More Melbourne rugby league fans are dancing in the purple rain than ever before as the Storm clocked their largest membership tally in the club's 27-year history. The 40,237 figure is also just the second time they've eclipsed the 40k mark. 'It's a massive achievement and significant milestone for the club... it shows the incredible loyalty and passion our supporters have,' Melbourne Storm Chief Executive Justin Rodski said. The club's membership base has increased 40 per cent in the past four seasons, which Rodski puts down to continued on- and off-field achievements. 'Our on-field success is not only entertaining to watch, but makes the people of Melbourne proud. We have the best rectangular stadium in Australian sport, our members enjoy great accessibility to players and feel an emotional connection to the club.' The Storm are sitting second on the table for 2025 and have secured a remarkable 15th straight finals appearance. 'It's just an awesome achievement in AFL heartland to reach this in our history,' Rodski said. 'Hopefully we're well positioned to not only make it to the grand final this year, but win that next premiership.' The team's average 2025 home crowd sits at 21,289, and that number is tipped to increase with two expected sellout home games to end the season against the Bulldogs Friday night and Roosters next week. Tonight's night's blockbuster will be dedicated to Storm Chairman Matt Tripp's daughter Bella, who passed away in 2022 from a respiratory complication resulting from a bone-marrow transplant, following a lengthy battle with leukaemia. 'The whole club was impacted by Bella's death, no-one deserves to go through what she and the family went through and this is just a small way that we can continue to legacy of Bella and help raise money to find a cure.
ABC News
36 minutes ago
- ABC News
Are we unwittingly killing our precious wildlife?
Tassie's wildlife is already under increasing pressure, but are we unknowingly adding to their demise? Have you bought a poison to get rid of rodents? The problem is it might not just be them you get rid of. Australia's biggest bird of prey, Tasmania's Wedge-tailed eagle is one of our endangered species falling victim to the poison, not directly, but through the prey they eat. Should such toxic poisons be so readily available? Featuring reporter Bec Pridham. Get in touch, email us: tassiecast@ Subscribe to ABC TassieCast on the ABC listen app.
