Dr Paul Oosterhuis suspended

The NSW Medical Council has suspended the registration of Dr Paul Oosterhuis effective from 3 September 2021 following a decision by a s.150 (immediate action) panel.

The Medical Council has taken this action in order to protect the health and safety of the public and to maintain confidence in the medical profession. The Council has advised the suspension to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) for recording on the public register of practitioners.

By law, the Council cannot release any further details about this decision, including the reasons or any details about the complaints that have prompted this regulatory action.

The Council will not be making any further public statements on this matter.

Background

The Medical Council works in collaboration with the co-regulator, the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) to receive and manage complaints about doctors and medical students in NSW. The Council’s paramount obligation is to protect the public by ensuring doctors in NSW practise safely and in accordance with professional standards and conduct expected of them by the community.

The Council deals with individual doctors whose conduct, performance or health may represent a risk to the public and works with them, where possible, to reduce that risk by for example, placing conditions on their medical registration.

Section 150 or immediate action panels are held by the Council when a complaint or notification prompts serious concerns about risk to public safety or the need to otherwise act in the public interest. Panel members include community representatives as well as medical practitioners.

The NSW Medical Council’s s.150 (immediate action) panels are not public under laws governing all health professional councils in NSW. However, should delegates make a formal decision to impose conditions on a medical practitioner or suspend a practitioner, these details are published and available via the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) register of practitioners.

The Council does not have punitive powers and cannot de-register a medical practitioner.