Licence stripped from CFB Gagetown psychiatrist

A former St. John's psychiatrist who had admitted to having sexwith a patient haslost his medical licence in a second province.

Dr. James Hanley, whose Newfoundland and Labrador licence was revoked in March, has now had his privileges taken away in New Brunswick.

Hanley, who had admitted that he had a sexual relationship with a patient, had been treating patients at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick, though, issued an interim suspension and review of his licence.

Hanley had argued that the military's dire need for psychiatric service should have helped him keep his licence.

But Dr. Ed Schollenberg, registrar of the New Brunswick college, said other factors were more important.

"The need was certainly real and it certainly needed to be thought of a great deal," Schollenberg said Tuesday.

"Inevitably, there is some harm to that access when you take action, but at the end of the day, you still have to decide that there are certain kinds of things which just cause you to forfeit your right to practice."

Hanley has a month to file an appeal of the New Brunswick college's decision.

Hanley's case became the first public hearing involving the Newfoundland and Labrador College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Hanley admitted to having had sex with patient Kathleen Wiseman, who had been under his care for 17 years. Wiseman brought a complaint to the Newfoundland and Labrador college, arguing that Hanley took advantage of her during a vulnerable period in 2003.

Hanley had voluntarily closed his office in 2005 and then relocated to CFB Gagetown.

Before the decision in March, the Canadian Forces had backed Hanley's work at the base. Defence officials have said there will be an increased need in the forces for psychiatric services as troops return from Afghanistan.