Doctor denies altering records to get more taxpayer funding

An Auckland doctor denied altering hundreds of medical records to "secure more money from the taxpayer" at his trial yesterday.

Hong Sheng Kong, a GP at Hong Kong Surgery in Panmure, pleaded not guilty in the Auckland District Court to charges of dishonestly using computer software to defraud the Health Ministry of $1.3 million of patient funding.

He was also alleged to have obstructed the course of justice by altering a patient's files to change a diagnosis he made.

The family of the patient thought he had cancer but Kong allegedly refused to take a sample and the man subsequently was diagnosed with a melanoma and died.

Paul Davison QC, defending Kong, told the jury his client denied attempting to pervert the course of justice and acting with intent to defraud by changing his database of patients.

"He strongly denies that he intended to gain any pecuniary advantage from altering the database," Mr Davison said.

Kong qualified as a doctor in China in 1988, and came to New Zealand in 1995, gaining recognition with the New Zealand Medical Council in 2000.

"His practice grew enormously after he set it up," Mr Davison said. "He saw many more patients in a day than would be customary for most GPs.".

Crown prosecutor Mark Woolford alleged Kong changed the computer system to make it appear as if he had more patients than he did.

When questioned about the changes, Kong said he had "no idea" about them, and would have to check with his staff.

He allegedly transferred a register for his patients and those of two other doctors he previously worked with at a Panmure surgery in 2002 to the Hong Kong surgery where he was the sole GP.

The Crown alleges he entered false information, including changing a Brazilian patient's nationality to Fijian because he would get more funding for Maori and Pacific Island patients.

"Over two months, Dr Kong made changes to fraudulently inflate the number of patients on the initial patient register originally submitted to the Ministry of Health," Mr Woolford said.

Mr Woolford said the patient who died was a Chinese man, who went to Kong with an ulcer on his heel in 2005.

The man, whose name was suppressed, was accompanied by his daughter who asked Kong to take a biopsy as she thought it might be cancer.

Kong refused to take a sample, and the man died after being subsequently diagnosed with melanoma four months later.

After a complaint made to the Health and Disability Commissioner, Kong changed the records to say he had offered a biopsy which the daughter refused as she did not want to pay the $30 fee, the jury was told.

Kong was also charged with obstruction of justice for hindering the commission's inquiry.

- NZPA