Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Unvaccinated Dunedin eye surgeon fined for continuing to see patients

Dunedin eye surgeon Deepak Gupta has twice more fallen foul of the Ministry of Health for seeing patients despite being unvaccinated. Photo / Supplied

Dunedin eye surgeon Deepak Gupta has twice more fallen foul of the Ministry of Health for seeing patients despite being unvaccinated.

Dr Gupta voluntarily relinquished his practising certificate after vaccination mandates were put in place by the Government to protect patients and clinicians from Covid-19.

In February the ministry served an infringement notice on Dr Gupta for having treated patients in breach of Covid-19 orders.

Breaching the order results in a doctor incurring a fee of $4000.

Yesterday, the ministry issued two more infringement notices to Dr Gupta for the same offence, of treating a patient while being unregistered.

It asked anyone who had been treated by Dr Gupta since January 26 to contact the ministry.

Dr Gupta formerly worked in the ophthalmology department at Dunedin Hospital, but did not treat any patients for the Southern District Health Board after being deregistered.

Dr Gupta is understood to have registered with the Wakaminenga Kaunihera Hauora Health Council (WKH), an organisation which claims to be able to register medical practitioners under "sovereign native customary ture tikanga".

The Medical Council is the only organisation in New Zealand legally able to register medical practitioners.

Medical Council chairman Curtis Walker said his organisation had no association with WKH, and said the council ensured all practising doctors met and maintained minimum standards of competence and fitness to practice.

The Ministry of Health is understood to be aware of WKH and to be considering what to do about the organisation.