Dodgy doctors, fake medics put patients at risk

Patients are being warned to check credentials as it’s revealed how many dodgy doctors, dentists and other medics have been caught operating in SA.

Australians are being put at risk by dodgy doctors and health workers amid revelation dozens of fakes, fraudsters and unregistered medics have been caught illegally treating patients.

Nearly 70 fake or unregistered doctors, nurses, dentists and other health practitioners have been caught treating unsuspecting patients in the past five years.

A 10 per cent jump in complaints against unregistered medics last year has prompted authorities to urge Australians to check the qualifications of their practitioners.

Eight of the 69 cases across the country were people working in South Australia.

Among those “holding out” – the term health regulators use to for anyone practising without medical registration – was Adelaide women Helena Maryja Heaft.

She was convicted of 66 counts of pretending to be a registered nurse while working at aged-care facilities between February and June 2018. She was initially given a good behaviour bond and fined $10,650.

Nearly 70 fake health practitioners were caught this year. Picture: iStock

On appeal, the punishment was increased to include 80 hours of community service.

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency chief executive Martin Fletcher said some of those caught were banned or suspended practitioners who ignored orders relating to their safety.

Others may have never been trained or sought registration in Australia at all before passing themselves off as medics.

Mr Fletcher said both categories raised serious dangers for unsuspecting patients.

“If you are a patient you are entitled to expect the person you are seeing, who is providing treatment, is who they say they are and has the qualifications and skills you’d expect of a registered health practitioner,” he said.

“It is often quite a gross violation of the trust of patients to be seeing someone who is forcibly claiming to be registered when they are not.”

Lawyer Dimitra Dubrow of Maurice Blackburn. Picture: Julian Smith

Australian health ministers beefed up laws across the country from July 1, 2020, making holding out a criminal offence punishable by jail.

Mr Fletcher said the best way for the public to remain safe and receive appropriate medical care was to check the national register of practitioners, which lists more than 820,000 registered practitioners across 16 professions.

“You know they are qualified and you know they are subject to standards and, if there are restrictions on their registration, that will appear on their registration as well,” Mr Fletcher said.

Dimitra Dubrow, who is head of medical negligence at law firm Maurice Blackburn, said the consequences of not checking medical registers were too great.

“It’s concerning that anyone would provide any sort of medical treatment to others without the appropriate qualifications and registration,” Ms Dubrow said.