If the medical profession "were protecting its own", his failures would never have seen the light of day.
It was his Portland, Oregon hospital, not the State of Oregon, that first stripped him of his right to perform surgery and that action ultimately led to his leaving the United States altogether.
Only Government agencies have the right to issue or revoke a medical license. If the world's worst doctor is practicing bad medicine in town, other doctors can ban him from their own practices or their hospitals and complain to the State but only the State has a right to strip him of his license to practice medicine in a solo practice.
This guy fled all the way to the outback of Australia in order to get away from the scrutiny of his medical colleagues.
It was the responsibility of the Australian Government to adequately investigate his competency before issuing him a license to practice medicine in Australia and the Australian Government failed to do so.
Who do you think makes up the State Boards? Who do you think makes up the state laws? You think MD's might be involved somewhere in there?