A man is facing a $30,000 fine after allegedly masquerading as a doctor at New South Wales hospitals for more than a decade.
Shyam Acharya is accused of stealing a doctor’s name and medical qualifications while in India before moving to Australia and becoming a citizen.
To find work in Australia, he allegedly using fraudulent documents to gain registration with the Medical Council of New South Wales in 2003.
Mr Acharya worked at Manly, Hornsby, Wyong and Gosford hospitals under the name Sarang Chitale up until 2014.
As a junior doctor, he was under the supervision of other clinicians and NSW Health says one clinical incident involving a team Mr Acharya worked in was reported.
The patient involved in the incident has been notified.
Mr Acharya’s current whereabouts are unknown, but the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) has confirmed it has laid charges against him for a breach of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of $30,000.
NSW Health’s deputy secretary Karen Crawshaw said no complaints were received by the Medical Council of NSW or the Health Care Complaints Commission.
“The root cause of this was false identity to get into the country in the first place,” she said.
“The documentation that got him registered was in fact legitimate documentation of a doctor.
“We now require written references and contact directly referees of doctors seeking employment.”