Harjit had just gotten a new job and was about to buy a family home when she died suddenly on the operating table. A major investigation into the sector has now been launched

A major investigation has been launched following the shocking death of a young mother after she went under the knife for a ‘minor’ operation in Melbourne.

Harjit Kaur, 30, unexpectedly became pregnant after landing a new IT job at Nike and, along with her husband, made the difficult decision to schedule an abortion on January 12.

Mrs. Kaur tragically died while her surgeon, Dr. Rudolph “Rudy” Lopes, was operating.

The registration of Dr. Lopes was suspended on Friday by the Medical Board of Australia pending an investigation, using regulatory powers usually reserved for extreme cases.

Daily Mail Australia suggests no misconduct by Dr. Lopes. Nor does Daily Mail Australia suggest any misconduct by the anaesthetist.

After their initial investigation of Dr. Lopes, the watchdog set up a specialist team to investigate the wider sector, citing “serious concerns” about the health and safety of patients.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) is working with the state health department to conduct a survey of multiple practitioners across a number of professions and practice locations.

Martin Fletcher, chief executive of the AHPRA, said further action must be taken to save lives.

“While the coroner continues to investigate the tragic death of a patient, our investigations focus on a wider range of issues that our investigation uncovers,” Fletcher said. said De Eeuw.

‘We are deeply concerned by the picture emerging: national boards are ready to take further regulatory action necessary to keep patients safe.’

The watchdog declined to comment on the specific nature of Dr.’s suspension. Lopes while the investigation was underway.

“Patient safety is our utmost concern,” it said in a statement on Friday.

‘Our investigation will continue in parallel with the investigation into a patient’s death, whilst respecting the integrity of the coroner’s critical work.

‘We are prioritizing the integrity of our ongoing work and cannot provide further details at this stage. We will update the register of practitioners if any changes occur.”

Ms Kaur died shortly after her operation at the Hampton Park Women’s Health Clinic, in Melbourne’s south-east, when her heart unexpectedly stopped beating.

Mrs Kaur was preparing to buy a family home with her husband, Sukhjinder Singh, where they could raise their four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son.

But when she discovered she had accidentally become pregnant, the busy mother felt she was not mentally, physically and financially ready to have a third child, so the couple made the difficult decision to have an abortion.

After consulting with a doctor, they scheduled the surgery, which is considered a minor procedure.

Mrs Kaur messaged her husband as she entered the operating room, assuring him she would call after her procedure – instead it was Mrs Kaur’s surgeon, Dr Lopes, who called Mr Singh just over an hour later.

“He told me the procedure was successful, but while they were taking her to the general ward, her heartbeat stopped and an ambulance was there to resuscitate her,” Mr Singh said.

“I tried to enter the general ward but they stopped me and asked me to stay outside. Five minutes later the doctor came to me and said, ‘I’m sorry your wife is dead.’

‘I was dead then. My life was destroyed in a second.”

Family spokesman Suresh Rajan said “an investigation into the practices of this clinic and this particular doctor” is what they have been waiting for.

Mr Singh described to Daily Mail Australia the harrowing moment he was finally allowed in to see his wife for the last time.

‘I begged her to come back [the sake of] our little children,” he said.

Dr. Lopes voluntarily resigned pending clarification of a surgical cause of death.

The Age revealed that Mr Lopes faced another suspension in 2021 after the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal found he had engaged in sexual misconduct towards his patients over a six-year period.

The tribunal chose not to withdraw his registration at the time, because he had already been suspended for more than three years.

The three-member panel said that Dr. Lopes had to work in a controlled environment under specific conditions.

‘We conclude here that Dr. Lopes is now a suitable person to practice under appropriate conditions. “We will therefore not order that his registration be withdrawn,” they noted at the time.

The current suspension of Dr. Lopes does not apply to general practices.

The Women’s Health Clinic in Hampton Park was banned from providing day surgery and special services on February 29 as the investigation into Ms Kaur’s cause of death continues.

Mr Singh said he and Ms Kaur married in 2018 and settled in Australia to “give our children a good life”.

Now without her he has no idea what the future will look like for their family.

“She was so young and healthy,” he said.

‘She has fought for a better life all her life. She was so excited to move into her new home. She had many dreams.

‘How am I supposed to take care of two children and manage my work myself?

‘How am I going to pay off our mortgage? What should I say to my children when they ask about their mother?

“I am completely destroyed.”

a GoFundMe has been set up to support Mr Singh with funeral costs and while he takes time off to be with his children, with community members rallying to raise $59,000 so far.