Melbourne MD Dr Jereth Kok suspended indefinitely for offensive social media posts
A Melbourne doctor who appeared to endorse online support for “genocide toward racial and religious groups” and “capital punishment” for doctors who perform abortions has been told to stop posting on social media.
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A Melbourne MD has been suspended for appearing to endorse via social media “genocide toward racial and religious groups” and “capital punishment” for doctors who perform abortions.
Dr Jereth Kok was suspended by the Medical Board of Australia on August 22 last year but appealed to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
VCAT upheld the decision on March 27 after it received submissions the eastern suburbs doctor had published “egregious” statements.
The Medical Board also submitted Dr Kok’s posts reflected a “lack of the integrity, ethics and compassion required of a medical practitioner”.
Many of the doctor’s Facebook, other social media and internet forums posts which spanned a 10-year period were submitted to VCAT.
VCAT deputy-president Heather Lambrick said some of Dr Kok’s posts “appear to endorse or call for violence and/or genocide towards racial and religious groups”.
She said other posts “most certainly have the real potential to cause concern/offence to a range of members of the community”.
“Including – but not limited to – women seeking abortions, other health practitioners and the hospitals/practices in which they work, multiple named races, and members of the LGBQTI++ communities,” she said.
Dr Kok also posted that health practitioners who provide abortions are “murderers” or “in need of referral to the Australian Federal Police”.
“(The posts appear to) endorse calls for capital punishment for members of the profession who provide termination of pregnancy services,” deputy president Lambrick said.
“Some of the posts do arguably express demeaning views regarding LGBQTI+ individuals.”
Dr Kok said many of his “tongue in cheek” posts had been “taken out of context” or “misinterpreted”.
However, Dr Kok conceded that some posts “have the potential to cause offence”.
“It is the reality of social media postings that they are not always read or understood in their full context,” deputy president Lambrick said.
“This is however, arguably part of the danger of posting on social media.
“There is no doubt that Dr Kok posts extensively on social media.
“He has clear conservative leanings.”
Deputy-president Heather Lambrick said it did “not matter” that Dr Kok found it “amusing/rhetorical/entertaining to engage in online antics of this nature”.
“We accept that such banter may be the reality of social media posts,” she said.
“Dr Kok is however a medical practitioner … he is by virtue of his profession required to abide by a code of conduct which requires respect and compassion.
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“He has obligations to his profession which he must take seriously.
“He does not simply drop his profession each time he enters the playground of social media engagement.
“A registered medical practitioner cannot go online and shout to all who care to read his posts – or have the misfortune of coming across his posts – without care as to the potential consequences of his actions.
“Nevertheless, we have no doubt that Dr Kok should cease posting on social media.”
Dr Kok remained suspended indefinitely.