Alleged fake doctor’s trail of lies and deceit

A man being investigated by police for allegedly using fake documents to secure a job as a doctor at Middlemore Hospital was previously trespassed from a university after posing as a medical student for two years.

Stuff understands the man worked in the respiratory department at Middlemore in south Auckland for several months before it was discovered he was not a registered doctor.

A doctor, who Stuff has agreed not to name, said the man was in his university class when he was found to have forged a University of Auckland student ID card and was doing cadaver dissections.

‘‘We were all very shocked when it happened. I can’t believe it’s happened a second time . . . it’s pretty horrific.

‘‘It’s his second bite at the cherry,’’ the doctor said. The doctor said the man was a ‘‘pretty nice guy’’ but people in the class were angry when it was found out he was not a student.

At the time, a spokesperson from the university’s medical school said the man participated in the second and third year of the six-year medical course.

He was alleged to have dissected cadavers, the spokesperson confirmed. Over the two-year period, he evaded lecturers by not putting his name to anything, he said.

The University of Auckland yesterday confirmed the student involved in that incident was the same person alleged to have gained employment at Counties Manukau DHB using false documents.

The university confirmed the man was never enrolled in and did not graduate from the School of Medicine. The University of Otago, home to Aotearoa’s other medical school, also confirmed there was no record of him ever graduating.

In 2012, professor John Fraser,

‘‘This person was detected when an assignment was submitted that did not match any name on the class list.’’ Professor John Fraser

dean of the faculty of medical and health sciences, said the university was ‘‘extremely concerned to discover that a person who applied for entry into the medical programme in 2010 and was unsuccessful has since been attending classes’’.

Because of the size of the medical class and by not submitting assessments or sitting tests, the person was able to deceive classmates and teachers, Fraser said.

‘‘Ultimately the presence of this person was detected when an assignment was submitted that did not match any name on the class list.’’

Fraser said at the time it was the first instance in the 43-year history of the medical school.

Te Whatu Ora Counties Manukau chief medical officer Dr Andrew Connolly yesterday said staff were contacting all patients seen by the man. The organisation would also review its vetting processes.

He said the man worked in a clinical research position and ‘‘reviewed patients, under supervision’’.

He was stood down from his role on August 1 after the organisation ‘‘received concerns about [his] New Zealand Medical Council registration status’’.

The man’s employment ‘‘concluded’’ on August 10 and a complaint was filed with police the same day, Connolly said.

‘‘We are deeply sorry ... We have reviewed the care of every patient who was seen by this person.’’