A fake doctor has been fined after advising a woman to stop taking her epilepsy medication.
Melbourne Magistrates Court heard on Friday that Panayiotis Marlassi-Bouras had been presenting himself as a medical practitioner for at least two months last year.
He was not registered with the Medical Board of Australia and did not have the qualifications needed, but Marlassi-Bouras gave two people a business card that stated otherwise.
The Victorian man was charged by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and found guilty of six charges, relating to falsely claiming to be a medical practitioner.
Magistrate Michael King told the court the offending was reckless, as advising someone to stop taking epilepsy medication was "extremely dangerous and showed callous disregard."
Marlassi-Bouras was fined $10,000 and ordered to pay $1308 in costs to Ahpra.
The maximum penalty for an individual claiming to be a health worker is $30,000.
"Patients put their trust in properly qualified and registered medical practitioners, and it is a gross violation of that trust when someone falsely claims to be registered," Medical Board of Australia Chair Dr Anne Tonkin said.
Australian Associated Press
