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A doctor who hit a sick 2-year-old girl after she kicked her during a tantrum was found to have behaved inappropriately and has to apologize to the child’s mother.
The boy’s mother filed a complaint with the Health and Disability Commission for the incident in which her son kicked the doctor in the stomach, screamed, and threw chewed paper.
He said the doctor slapped his son after he kicked her, but the doctor said he only slapped the boy on the face.
The boy had conjunctivitis, fever and had been unwell for several days.
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The Health and Disability Commission found that a doctor who struck a sick child during a tantrum behaved in a disrespectful and inappropriate manner.
The doctor saw the boy after hours. He had been at work since 10.15am, where he had “double and triple bookings” during the day.
The doctor said he immediately apologized after “touching” the boy in the face.
But Health and Disability Commissioner Anthony Hill said the GP’s response was inappropriate and disrespectful, regardless of the nature of the physical contact.
“It would not be unusual for [the GP] experiencing irritable or uncooperative young patients when they are unwell. While I do not condone any patient kicking their doctor, I hope there are adequate mechanisms in place to respond to this, if and when it occurs.
“This incident was unwelcome and unprofessional. Furthermore, the act has eroded the trust that [the mother] had in [the GP] how [the child’s] doctor, ”he said.
Hill noted that the incident was out of character for the GP and did not reflect his general competence.
Nor did he think it would happen again.
The GP has received further training and has apologized to the child’s mother. The medical center has also put measures in place to manage its workload.
