'Unimaginable pain': Brother tells of family's grief after doctor's death

Royal Hobart Hospital cardiothoracic surgery registrar Artyom Avetisyan was travelling south on the Midland Highway at Pontville in southern Tasmania when he was involved in a single-vehicle car crash on June 12 which claimed his life. His brother Artak Avetisyan says Dr Avetisyan "devoted his life to helping others", and that his family was "living through unimaginable pain" following his death. What's next? Dr Avetisyan's death is being investigated by the coroner. The brother of a doctor killed following in a car crash in southern Tasmania says his family is living through "unimaginable pain". Artyom Avetisyan, a cardiothoracic surgery registrar at the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH), died following a single-vehicle car crash at Pontville in southern Tasmania on June 12. The 42-year-old is being remembered as a kind and compassionate colleague. His brother, Artak Avetisyan said Dr Avetisyan "devoted his life to helping others". "He was always there for our family, supporting us in every way he could, and we were endlessly proud of him," Mr Avetisyan said. "My parents and I are living through unimaginable pain, and this loss has been devastating for all of us. "Artyom was Armenian, and now we face the heartbreaking responsibility of bringing him home to his homeland so he can be laid to rest with his family." Dr Avetisyan was driving back to Hobart after working at the Launceston General Hospital when he was involved in a single-vehicle crash on the Midland Highway about 10:40pm. He was the only person in the car. "On the day of the accident, he was driving back from Launceston General Hospital to Royal Hobart Hospital to finish his work," Mr Avetisyan said. "During our conversations in the last week before the crash, he sounded extremely exhausted. "He spoke very little and kept saying that he just wanted to sleep and get some rest." Mr Avetisyan said his brother had worked for almost three years with the Tasmanian Health Department, first at the Mersey Community Hospital at Latrobe, then at the RHH. He had been living in Australia since 2016. Loading Instagram content Dr Avetisyan's death has led to calls for the Health Department to review its fatigue policy. According to the RHH Medical Staff Association chair Frank Nicklason, many doctors who work in the south of the state are required to travel to the north and north-west to support hospitals there. Dr Nicklason said it was "a real issue for us". Australian Medical Association Tasmanian branch president Michael Lumsden-Steel said there was a question of what fatigue management processes the department had in place, and if they were being adhered to. The Health Department has said it had fatigue management policies in place, which a spokesperson said included providing "advice and assistance for managing fatigue to ensure it does not contribute to health and safety risks for employees or in departmental workplaces". The spokesperson said the department also reviewed the policies this year in consultation with staff. "The department is collating the feedback to inform the next stage of development." Dr Avetisyan's death is being investigated by the coroner.