Unregistered doctor convicted after patient is hospitalised following medical procedure

After treating a patient without disclosing that he was no longer a registered doctor, a NSW man has been convicted, fined $3000, ordered to pay $24,444.55 in legal costs and placed on an 18-month Community Corrections Order.

First registered as a medical practitioner in 1998, the Medical Council of NSW suspended his registration 2021 — lifting the suspension in November 2021, subject to a condition that he not practise medicine.

The man did not renew his registration in 2023, and he has not been registered since 1 November 2023. Yet, between November and December 2023, the continued to present himself as a registered medical practitioner and operated a clinic providing ozone therapy treatments to the public.

The words “Medical Centre” were included in the clinic’s sign and the website for the clinic stated that “Medical ozone treatment is safe when performed by an expert medical practitioner”.

The man purported to diagnose one patient who attended the clinic in November 2023 with Lyme disease. The man recommended ozone therapy and told the patient there were no risks or side effects and that it was “completely safe”.

The patient proceeded to have three treatment sessions with the man, which included ‘ozonated saline infusion’ and ‘ultraviolet light irradiation’. The patient started experiencing an adverse reaction including stomach cramps, back spasms, shooting pains across their body and nausea during the third treatment.

The man reassured the patient that the reaction was normal, and they would be fine in half an hour. Further symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea were experienced by the patient later that day and they went to hospital, where they received medical treatment before being discharged several days later.

Ahpra brought the charges and the man was sentenced in the Penrith Local Court on 17 August. He pleaded guilty to one charge of holding himself as a registered medical practitioner, in contravention of section 116 of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law 2010.

“The person who had the medical procedure and who was affected by your procedures wouldn’t have done it if they knew you weren’t a GP,” Judge Brian Van Zuylen said in sentencing.

“Ahpra’s primary focus is patient safety. When unregistered practitioners continue to practise and patients are at risk of harm, we will not hesitate to take the strongest action,” Ahpra CEO Justin Untersteiner said.

“We encourage patients to get care from qualified and registered medical practitioners when they are feeling unwell and need to see a doctor,” Medical Board of Australia Chair Dr Susan O’Dwyer said. “Checking their listing on the register of practitioners is the quickest and best way to make sure.”

Anyone with concerns about whether an individual is registered can check the online Register of practitioners maintained by Ahpra or call 1300 419 495.

Image credit: iStock.com/Sutthicha Weerawong