Calls for fatigue policy review after 'loved' Tasmanian doctor dies in car crash

Calls for Health Department to review fatigue policy after Tasmanian doctor dies in car crash Mon 29 Jun 2026 at 5:29am In short: Doctors are calling for the Health Department to review its fatigue management policies after Royal Hobart Hospital cardiothoracic surgery registrar Artyom Avetisyan died in a car crash. The Australian Medical Association says doctors are working in a strained health system that makes it difficult for them to say "no" due to impacts on patients. What's next? The Department of Health says it has fatigue management policies in place, which were reviewed in consultation with staff earlier this year. There are calls for Tasmania's Department of Health to examine its fatigue management policies after a doctor died on the state's roads. Artyom Avetisyan, a cardiothoracic surgery registrar at the Royal Hobart Hospital, has been remembered by hospital staff as a kind and compassionate colleague who will be "greatly missed". Tasmania Police said a 42-year-old died while travelling south on the Midland Highway at Pontville in a single vehicle crash at 10:40pm on June 12. Royal Hobart Hospital Medical Staff Association chair Frank Nicklason said Dr Avetisyan was known as a "hardworking" and "very well-respected doctor". Dr Nicklason said he understood Dr Avetisyan was driving home to Hobart after finishing a shift in Launceston when he crashed. "It seems quite probable that fatigue was a part of that,"Dr Nicklason said. He said it was common for medical staff to travel around the state to see patients. "A lot of doctors who work in the south also have to travel to the north to support northern hospitals," he said. "This is a real issue for us." Once a month, Dr Nicklason spends a few days working at the Mersey Community Hospital in the north-west and at the Launceston General Hospital. "I would tend to get back to Hobart about 9 o'clock in the evening," he said. "I'm very, very aware of the issues of fatigue." Death a 'tragedy', medical association says Allan Beswick is with the intensive care unit at the Royal Hobart Hospital, where he worked alongside Dr Avetisyan. "No matter what the time, day or night, he was always the same friendly, collegial person," Dr Beswick said. "He's one of just three cardiothoracic registrars in the state, so his loss is a big loss,"he said. Dr Beswick said the cardiothoracic team was "always busy". "The hospital and the teams work very hard, but they also work hard to try and make sure that the rostering is safe," he said. "The nature of the accident being at the end of a long day, the end of a long drive, of course makes everyone concerned about the element of fatigue involved in this." Tasmanian branch president of the Australian Medical Association Michael Lumsden-Steel said Dr Avetisyan was a "loved, valued, respected member of the cardiothoracic team" who would be missed by his colleagues. "They're grieving, they're gutted, they're going through all the emotions of having lost a highly valued colleague," he said. The circumstances surrounding the crash will be a matter for the coroner, but Dr Lumsden-Steel said doctors were often "bad at saying no" due to the consequences for patients. "It's the doctors that are carrying the weight of making the decision: 'If I cancel this list, that means that someone else is going to be delayed even further for an operation,'" he said. "The pipeline is not moving efficiently, we've got patients suffering and waiting, and I think this is something that's always a burden that doctors dealing in high acuity areas are carrying." Dr Lumsden-Steel said there was a question of what fatigue management processes the health department had in place, and if they were being adhered to. "We'll need to look at what we can do better, because it's just a tragedy to lose a colleague that's driving back late, caring for patients, providing an outreach service up the north of the state,"he said. "Undoubtedly, we'll need to look at the fatigue around this." The Department of Health said it had fatigue management policies in place, which it reviewed this year in consultation with staff. "These provide advice and assistance for managing fatigue to ensure it does not contribute to health and safety risks for employees or in departmental workplaces," a spokesperson said. "The department also provides advice and guidance to staff on managing fatigue through internal websites, dedicated information resources and referral pathways to a dedicated Work Health and Safety team. "Staff consultation on fatigue management procedures was undertaken in early 2026 and the department is collating the feedback to inform the next stage of development." Fatigue management crucial for driving and shift work Tasmanian Foundation for Occupational Medicine president Peter Sharman said Dr Avetisyan's death was a tragedy. He said organisational fatigue management policies were particularly important for jobs involving critical decision making, driving and shift work — all factors that applied to doctors. "You need to have an approach to manage fatigue risk in your organisation," Dr Sharman said. "Some organisations have in place policies that limit the amount of driving you're allowed to do and limit the amount of time you spend working."