A former hospital boss has had his medical registration suspended under emergency powers after an investigation was launched into allegations he falsified death certificates.

In 2022, Dr Peter Renshaw retired as director of clinical services at the Launceston General Hospital in Tasmania after more than 30 years in the post.

But last week, the Tasmanian Department of Health announced it had asked the coroner to review six deaths at the hospital.

The move followed the department’s investigation into claims by a midwife, Amanda Duncan, that hospital death certificates had been deliberately falsified to prevent further scrutiny by the coroner.