Ozone Clinic Westfield Penrith issued five year shut down order

An alternative health clinic at a western Sydney shopping centre has been slapped with a shutdown order after a lengthy probe by the healthcare watchdog.

An alternative health clinic at Westfield Penrith Plaza has been handed a shut down order. Picture: Generic image

An alternative health clinic at Westfield Penrith Plaza has been slapped with a shut down order after a lengthy probe sparked when a patient contracted an infection which led to septic shock.

The Ozone Healing Clinic – which has several locations across Sydney – has been under investigation by the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) since August 2024, when its Castle Hill clinic was given an eight-week interim prohibition order.

The search and order were understood to be part of a larger investigation by the commission into ozone therapy, an alternative medicine practice built on the belief that ozone gas — a form of oxygen — has restorative, healing qualities.

The controversial therapy aims to reduce inflammation, boost immunity and promote healing through increasing the amount of oxygen in the body.

Its Penrith Plaza location has been shut down temporarily since October 29, 2024, and one of its therapists, Dr Linh Tuan Phan, who was allegedly unregistered, was slapped with a prohibition order on July 5, 2024.

The Ozone Clinic at Penrith Plaza has been issued with a five-year shut down order after a probe by the state’s healthcare watchdog.

Now, the clinic will remain closed for a further five years after the HCCC issued an order on Tuesday, April 8, which prohibits the clinic from providing, or causing to be provided, any health services – both paid and voluntary – to any member of the public.

A public statement from the commission, shared on Wednesday, said a patient at the clinic contracted a serious infection which led to septic shock, likely due to Dr Phan’s treatment, and that he had “failed to properly respond” when the patient began to have a reaction to her treatment.

“(Dr Phan) demonstrated a lack of appreciation that (the patient) had a potentially life-threatening reaction and did not check her vital signs,” the statement read.

Dr Phan had also allegedly attempted to sterilise single use items to reuse them for other procedures, claiming he was “washing” them for disposal, as well as using non TGA-approved equipment and devices at the clinic – including the EXT120 Ozone Generator and the Champion Full Spectrum UV device, according to the commission.

The statement also said that he was found to be unlawfully obtaining Heparin, a blood thinner, from an unknown source for ozone therapies at the clinic, as well as failing to prevent the risk of patient infection.

The clinic also did not maintain any patient records, according to the commission.

“The Commission considers, based on the evidence outlined above, that the Ozone Healing Clinic has breached multiple sections of the Code of Conduct,” the statement read.

“Accordingly, the Commission has determined that the Ozone Healing Clinic poses a significant risk to public health and safety and that a prohibition order is necessary to protect the public.”

The Ozone Clinic has been contacted for further comment.