Charge
On 7 July 2015 the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal considered the charge laid by the Director of Proceedings against Dr Vijay Harypursat, medical practitioner of Whangarei (the Doctor).
The charge alleged that the Doctor failed to set and/or maintain appropriate professional boundaries with his 22 year old patient with a history of mental health issues.

Finding
The hearing proceeded by way of an agreed summary of facts and the Tribunal noted it had little difficulty in finding the charge established against the Doctor and disciplinary sanction was warranted.

The Tribunal noted that consideration of the seriousness of any given case necessitates consideration of far more than the type of relationship which eventuates.  It involves considerations such as the extent to which the practitioner has subjugated his or her patient's interests to his or her own; the magnitude of the power imbalance in the case; the doctor's knowledge of these things; the scope of the breach of trust involved; the nature of the doctor's behaviour and in particular the extent to which he or she has manipulated or exploited the patient; the inherent dangers for the patient in the relationship; and the impact of the practitioner's misconduct for the patient.

Penalty
The Tribunal censured the Doctor and suspended his registration for a period of 9 months.  Conditions were imposed on the Doctor on resumption of practice and he was ordered to pay 40 % of costs of the hearing.

The Tribunal directed publication of its decison and a summary.