A specialist doctor suspended from Rockhampton Hospital in central Queensland has settled out of court after taking legal action to have his pay reinstated.
Earlier this year the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service ordered an independent investigation into Dr Antonio Vega Vega following allegations he removed the wrong kidney from a patient.
The doctor was also alleged to have previously misdiagnosed a twisted testicle, ultimately causing it to be removed, nicked another surgical patient’s artery, and wrongly positioned a stent in a separate operation.
But in June, a tribunal ruled he posed no serious threat to the public and could continue to practise without restrictions.
Last month, Dr Vega Vega lodged an application with the Supreme Court to review the decision by the acting chief executive of the health service to suspend him without pay.
Dr Vega Vega’s lawyer Stephen Keim said that matter had now been settled out of court but the terms of the agreement were confidential.
The doctor has resumed work as a urologist at two private hospitals in Rockhampton.
At the Civil and Administrative Tribunal hearing, Dr Vega Vega argued against strict conditions and monthly competence reviews imposed by the Medical Board of Australia (MBA).
He said the kidney surgery was highly complex because of the patient’s spina bifida, and he had the confidence and respect of his colleagues.
The tribunal heard the patient in question had an abnormal anatomy, where her kidney had shifted across her body.