A Rotorua GP has been formally censured and suspended from practising for two months following a dishonesty conviction.
Dr Peter Jacob Arnold Adams pleaded guilty in the Rotorua District Court in February last year to attempting to obtain cash by deception and was convicted and ordered to pay $500 costs. In January 2012 he had made a false travel insurance claim for items allegedly lost or stolen on an overseas flight, including two rings valued at around $4500.
The New Zealand Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal recently released its decision finding Dr Adams' conviction reflected adversely on his fitness to practise as a doctor.
It said health practitioners had a "wider professional obligation to act ethically, honestly and lawfully in accordance with the standards of professional conduct expected of the medical profession".
The tribunal ordered Dr Adams be censured and his registration suspended for two months, to take effect one month from the date of the judgment. He was also ordered to pay $7720 costs.