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A fake doctor working at a Sydney hospital was detected as a fraud but allowed to continue working in the health system, an independent inquiry has been told.
The allegation was made by two senior doctors at Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital, where Indian national Shyam Acharya posed as a doctor called Sarang Chitale from 2006 to 2007.
However, the inquiry into the scandal found the allegation could not be substantiated.
From 2003 to 2014, Acharya worked in the public health system, treating patients in Wyong, Gosford, Hornsby, Royal North Shore, Manly and Mona Vale hospitals.
In April, he was fined $30,000 by the Downing Centre Local Court for stealing Dr Chitale's identity.
He is believed to have fled the country and his whereabouts are unknown.
The inquiry's report, released on Wednesday, details the allegations of a senior doctor at Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital known as Senior Doctor A.
He told investigators he found another Indian registrar "in tears".
When he asked him what had happened, he said he had challenged "Dr Chitale" about this qualifications and had taken the complaint to another senior staff member, who had threatened to discipline the complaining doctor for "bullying Dr Chitale".
Senior Doctor A told the inquiry he immediately spoke to the senior staff member about the incident who told him to "f*** off".
The evidence of Senior Doctor A was supported by another doctor, Senior Doctor B, who told investigators he recalled the incident but had not witnessed it at the time.
Allegation denied by key doctors
The inquiry tracked down the registrar involved, who denied he had made the allegation.
The report said: "He said that he had little contact at work with him as they mostly worked opposite shifts and only saw each other at handover between shifts.
"He recalled him as a 'very quiet guy', who 'never talked about himself, where he was from, anything.'"
Investigators also spoke to the senior staff member who is alleged to have dismissed concerns about "Dr Chitale", and he denied the accusation.
"The [senior staff member] had no recollection of this happening and told the inquiry that, if it did happen, he would remember it and would have reacted by investigating the issue and putting support in place for the registrar who came to him."
The inquiry found that due to a lack of evidence, the allegations of the senior doctors could not be substantiated.
"Given the seriousness of the alleged conduct and in the absence of any evidence to support it, the inquiry could not be reasonably satisfied that it occurred," it said.
When Senior Doctor A was informed that his account was not corroborated by the registrar, he said his recollection may not be "entirely accurate" but said he was clear on the main points.
"He held to his strong recollection that he had found the registrar crying in the ward; heard his account that the [senior staff member] would have him dismissed for bullying 'Dr Chitale'; that he confronted the [senior staff member] about this and was told where to go."
He suggested the registrar was not corroborating his version of events, because he feared media attention and being made "a scapegoat".
Possums destroyed records
The report found there was a lack of employment records relating to Acharya's time at Hornsby.
"Documentation regarding his employment generally at Hornsby is scant — the inquiry was advised that in February 2017, a possum got into the ICU offices and damaged documents."
The inquiry found that opportunities to detect Acharya's fraud were missed.
"Documentation Mr Acharya presented for his initial recruitment to a position at Central Coast and subsequent recruitments to NSW Health agencies contained inconsistencies which vigilant scrutiny would have detected and which could have led to disclosure of the fraud," it said.
It also found the Australian College of Emergency Medicine did not advise Acharya's employers or the Medical Board of his failure to attend and pass examinations.
However, the inquiry found that Acharya's fraud could not be repeated today, due to more stringent registration processes for overseas doctors that have since been introduced.
Fake doctor 'certainly not the worst'
Several of the fake doctor's patients were interviewed and it was determined he had not harmed any patients during his time in the NSW health system.
Interviews with his supervisors on the Central Coast identified gaps in his clinical skills, but one said Acharya was "certainly not the worst" he had seen.
In fact, his performance reviews at Manly and Mona Vale Hospital described him as "above average".
"He was proficient at carrying out procedures and valued by the nurses for these skills," the report said.
The inquiry found Acharya had been a medical intern in Pune, India, but it was unclear whether he received further medical training.
The independent inquiry was conducted by former health care complaint commissioner, Kieran Pehm, and Robert Herkes, clinical director of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care.
Topics: doctors-and-medical-professionals, medical-ethics, crime, sydney-2000, wyong-2259, hornsby-2077, manly-2095
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