A Whangārei doctor has had his registration suspended for two years after breaching a condition that required him to have a chaperone present while seeing female patients.
He was found guilty on two counts of professional misconduct by the Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, after breaching a voluntary undertaking and a condition which placed restrictions on his practice as a doctor.
Dr Vijay Harypursat was first found guilty of professional conduct back in 2015 for breaking professional boundaries with a female patient with serious mental health issues in April and May of 2013, which resulted in a nine-month suspension.
After the incident, he agreed to a voluntary undertaking with the Medical Council of New Zealand in 2014, which required him to keep records of consultations with female patients as well as have a chaperone present.
But he breached that undertaking, meeting with 14 female patients between July 22 and November 27, 2014 - all without having any chaperone present.
He also falsely recorded having a chaperone present on 10 occasions between September 23 and November 27, 2014, when he was in fact seeing female patients for consultations on their own.
After breaching the voluntary undertaking, the Medical Council imposed conditions on his scope of practice, which came into effect in March 2015. He breached those conditions on two occasions later that year, according to the tribunal decision.
Dr Harypursat has not held a practicing certificate since September 2015.
Newshub.
