Once-delusional doctor wants to practise again

A doctor who lost his licence to practise and was convicted after he stabbed a work colleague, wants to practise medicine again.

The Palmerston North man – who has name suppression – is meeting with the Medical Council on September 8 in Wellington, for an assessment to see if he has a chance to regain his right to work as a doctor.

The former doctor told the Manawatu Standard that he wanted the council to reinstate his practising certificate as he was no longer suffering the delusional episodes that he says contributed to his certificate being revoked.

He had been jobless for three years after a judge sentenced him to two years' supervision for the attack, which left his victim wounded. He was also ordered to pay $2000 in compensation to his victim.

The incident happened in May 2007 after the man deliberately spilt a cup of tea on his victim before stabbing him in the chest with a sharp kitchen knife. The victim's injury required one stitch. The man handed himself into Palmerston North Police after the incident and was arrested.

A psychiatrist found he was suffering from delusional beliefs in which he saw his victim at the centre of a workplace conspiracy against him.

Registrar adviser Jane Lui would not talk about the possibility of the man being reinstated. "For privacy reasons the Medical Council is not able to comment on individual doctors," she said.

While the former doctor is still registered with the Medical Council of New Zealand, he has not held a current practising certificate since May 31, 2006.

The Medical Council could not confirm any other details relating to the man's case, including the reasons for him not holding a practising certificate at the time of the attack against his colleague.

The man received name suppression.

- © Fairfax NZ News