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A Melbourne doctor has been disqualified for prescribing an excessive amount of Panadeine Forte to a patient while her medical registration was already under scrutiny.
Luz Conejera was banned from registering as a general practitioner for 12 months, after she admitted to engaging in five instances of professional misconduct between 2016 and 2018.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal found Dr Conejera prescribed 200 tablets of Panadeine Forte to a patient with two repeats, in what was an "excessive and unusual" prescription.
She also prescribed Oxycodone and another medication with psychotropic effects to a patient without appropriately considering the risk of mixing the two.
Before the incidents, the Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria imposed conditions on Dr Conejera's medical registration because of deficiencies in her practice.
Those deficiencies included allegedly failing to follow up a patient's abnormal pap smear, prescribing medication to family members, and not keeping appropriate clinical records.
While she wasn't facing the tribunal on those allegations, Dr Conejera did admit to prescribing the excessive amount of Panadeine Forte, and not considering the risk of mixing medications.
She also accepted that she engaged in professional misconduct in 2016 by self-administering Ordine, a pain medication, and failing to store and dispose of other medication.
Dr Conejera's lawyer argued that a six-month disqualification period would be appropriate, but the tribunal determined it would be "grossly inadequate".
It instead disqualified Dr Conejera from registering as a medical practitioner for the next 12 months.
"Dr Conejera's conduct was serious and widespread, demonstrating a general lack of the qualities essential for registered medical practitioners to have," the tribunal said in its written judgment.
"It is clear beyond argument that the proper handling and prescribing of drugs by medical practitioners are of the greatest importance to the community."
Dr Conejera has not practised as a doctor since March 2018, and is not currently registered as a medical practitioner.