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09 Aug 2024
A Victorian woman1 who led a patient to believe she was a medical practitioner specialising in hormone therapy has today been sentenced to a $10,000 fine without conviction after pleading guilty in the Magistrates Court of Victoria at Heidelberg.
The woman is not, and has never been, registered as or qualified to practise as a medical practitioner.
In 2018 she met a patient by chance at Melbourne Airport and told the patient that she was a doctor who specialised in hormone therapy. In January 2021, the patient decided to contact the defendant in relation to concerns regarding hormonal imbalances diagnosed by her GP. Over the next two months, the unregistered woman treated the patient in phone consultations at a total cost of over $1500.
The woman told the patient she worked in an IVF hospital, referred to herself as “Dr” in texts and in a pathology request form and did not correct the patient when they referred to her as a doctor. She “diagnosed” the patient with “chronic nutritional deficiencies” and “very low hormone levels” and provided them with “prescription medication” and supplements that did not have labels or expiry dates.
The patient began experiencing debilitating pain about eight weeks after they started taking the medications and, when they asked the defendant for help, she told them to stop taking all medications. Despite repeated requests by the patient, the defendant refused to tell them what was in the medication she had provided. The patient’s other health practitioners also requested this information to help them understand the patient’s condition, however the patient never found out what was in the medication the defendant had provided.
The defendant previously held registration as a Chinese medicine practitioner which lapsed in January 2016.
On 17 August 2022 Ahpra commenced a prosecution, however the defendant sought a series of adjournments and did not enter a plea of guilty for nearly two years.
On 8 August 2024 she pleaded guilty to a single charge of recklessly holding herself out as being registered as a medical practitioner between 31 January 2021 and 17 April 2021, in breach of the National Law.
Today, after considering the defendant’s personal circumstances, Magistrate John Bentley sentenced the defendant to a $10,000 fine without conviction. His Honour noted that this was ‘serious offending….[the defendant] took advantage of someone in a vulnerable position.’
Despite the lengthy delays before the defendant eventually admitted the offending, Ahpra CEO Martin Fletcher said the regulator had been determined to pursue the prosecution.
‘Providing medical advice and medications when you do not have the training or legal permission to do so is not only a breach of trust, but it is also extremely dangerous,’ Mr Fletcher said.
“Ahpra is determined to act against anyone who poses a risk to the public by posing as a practitioner.’
Medical Board of Australia Chair, Dr Anne Tonkin, said: ‘Medical practitioners train for years to have the skills and knowledge to safely treat patients. Anyone who falsely claims to be a doctor puts their immediate patients in danger and risks undermining the public’s faith in the wider profession,’ Dr Tonkin said.
With an increasing number of consultations occurring outside traditional healthcare settings, the importance of checking the validity and qualifications of those providing health services is also rising. Anyone with concerns about whether an individual is registered can check the online Register of practitioners maintained by Ahpra or call 1300 419 495.
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