Doctor Bernard Conlon says he has received notification from the Medical Council of New Zealand that it intends to suspend him ahead of the investigation into the various complaints laid against him.
Murupara Medical Centre Photo: Screenshot / Google Street View
A complaint was first made against Dr Conlon after he made public comments questioning informed consent in pregnant women and children at a Māori health hui in August.
Further complaints about Dr Conlon's professional conduct were made to Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins by an unnamed junior doctor who was working at the clinic for three months last year. The complaints have since been forwarded to the Medical Council.
Among the accusations are that he labelled patient notes of people who have had the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine as "becoming magnetic", which Dr Conlon described as "baffling".
He said the words "becoming magnetic" did appear on one patient's notes, but only because that patient described and demonstrated to him that they were able to stick coins to their stomach six weeks after receiving the Pfizer vaccine and telling him that they were becoming magnetic.
After 30 years of treating the Murupara community, hundreds turned out in support of Dr Bernard Conlon at a rally in November in response to complaints about his stance on vaccination to the Medical Council of New Zealand. Photo: Photo / Diane McCarthy
"I have the less usual trait of believing my patients when they present with unusual symptoms," he said. "[The patient] was able to provide visual evidence that six coins could remain on [the patient's] torso, which I documented in [the patient's] notes. That a junior trainee would find such clinical honesty somehow worthy of report to the Medical Council still somewhat baffles me. However, it is strange times indeed," Dr Conlon said.
He has also been accused of celebrating when he heard the news that Murupara had the lowest vaccination rates in New Zealand, which was witnessed by the junior doctor who was a dinner guest in his home.
Dr Conlon has applied for a practice exemption to allow unvaccinated staff to continue to work at the Murupara Medical Centre. As well as himself and partner Dr Britta Noske being unvaccinated with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, he said three of the practice's receptionists and one nurse had also opted not to get it.
"As employers, we value our staff and have reconfigured the surgery to allow ongoing employment for all, while still excluding the non-vaccinated from patient contact as per the Covid-19 order. I find the jab or your job policy, frankly, repugnant," he said.
Dr Bernard Conlon plants a rose in front of his Murupara Medical Clinic during a rally in his support in November. Photo: LDr
Dr Conlon said he had "acquired unpopularity" for openly speaking out against mandatory vaccination, and that he had further irritated the Ministry of Health for attempting to import ivermectin - "hoping to then make it available for free to my high-risk patients when they are infected with Covid-19".
"The Ministry of Health seems disinterested in the success of this approach in countries such as Brazil, India, Mexico and Japan and would prefer infected patients being given only paracetamol and a pulse oximeter. Very sad indeed when one looks at the amazing success overseas. We have already monitored, successfully, eight patients with Covid-19, without issue."
Dr Conlon has also filed a case in the Rotorua District Court seeking a judicial review of a Medsafe decision to confiscate a consignment of ivermectin he was importing for his patients.
"Three days after making a legitimate legal challenge to Medsafe's decision to take possession of my ivermectin, the Ministry of Health laid a further complaint against me to the Medical Council - for unprofessional behaviour.
"Then, just before Christmas, I received notification from the Medical Council that they intended to suspend me ahead of the investigation into the various complaints, for the safety of the New Zealand public."
Dr Conlon said he had submitted his opposition to this proposal on Tuesday this week but held no real hope that it would be reversed. "I plan to appeal at the district court level and hope a more just decision is achieved."
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