Medical Practitioners Registration Ordinance 1963

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

AMENDMENTS TO A.C.T. MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS REGISTRATION ORDINANCE 1930-1962

No. 3 of 1963

	Under the Medical Practitioners Registration Ordinance 1930-1962, the only disciplinary action which can be taken by the A.C.T. Medical Board against a registered medical practitioner who is deemed by the Board to be guilty of unprofessional conduct is the drastic step of de-registration.

	The amending Ordinance is designed:

	(a)	to empower the Medical Board to reprimand an offender, or to suspend his registration for a period not exceeding twelve months, as alternatives to de-registration;

	(b)	to clarify the provisions relating to unlawful advertising and canvassing by medical practitioners;

	(c)	to require the Medical Board to conduct an enquiry, at which the medical practitioner may be represented by counsel or attorney, before taking action to reprimand him or to suspend or cancel his registration;

	(d)	to require the Medical Board to record the finding on which a decision to reprimand a medical practitioner, or to suspend or cancel his registration, was based and to furnish him with a copy of it if he so requests;

	(e)	to extend the right of appeal to the Supreme Court against a decision of the Medical Board to cover a medical practitioner who has been reprimanded or whose registration has been suspended; and

	(f)	to empower the Chairman of the Medical Board to have published in the Commonwealth Gazette notice of a decision of the Board, or of a Court on appeal against a decision of the Board to reprimand a medical practitioner or to suspend or cancel his registration.

	The amendments contained in sections 2 and 12 of the amending Ordinance are consequential to the above provisions.

	The amendments contained in sections 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11 and 14 of the amending Ordinance are designed simply to clarify or to bring up-to-date other provisions in the existing Ordinance and are of no substantial significance.