Vancouver AIDS doctor agrees to quit medicine

A Vancouver AIDS doctor accused of having sex with his patients in his medical office has avoided a disciplinary hearing by agreeing to never practice medicine in Canada again, Toronto's The Globe and Mail reports. Michael Phillip Maynard, who helped found one of the first HIV/AIDS support organizations in Canada, had been facing an inquiry by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia over the allegations. But the hearing was canceled when Maynard, who stopped practicing in Toronto in September 2001 due to health problems, agreed to never return to practicing medicine in the country. Three years ago the college found Maynard guilty of "infamous conduct" for engaging in a sexual relationship with a patient. He was fined $33,000 and suspended from the college for 15 months. Maynard had denied the current allegations but said through a spokesman that because his illness prevented him from adequately defending himself, he opted to simply agree to give up medicine in return for the cancellation of the inquiry.