Auckland: A man who used fake documents to secure a job as a doctor at one of New Zealand’s busiest hospitals was only caught after a colleague recognised him as a fake student from university a decade earlier.

Yuvaraj Krishnan worked for six months as a doctor at Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital until questions were raised about his medical qualifications. He was sacked on August 10.

Yuvaraj Krishnan pleaded guilty to being a fake doctor. Credit:Stuff

On Wednesday, Krishnan appeared at the Manukau District Court where his lawyer Steve Cullen entered a guilty plea to a charge of using a forged document to get an advantage. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Court documents show he used an annual practising certificate to obtain a pecuniary advantage, knowing the certificate to be forged.

According to court documents, Krishnan’s role was mainly in research, but he also ran outpatient clinics. He is believed to have examined up to 80 patients during his time at the hospital.

Doctors in New Zealand must hold an up-to-date medical practising certificate.

Yuvaraj Krishnan and his lawyer at the Auckland court.  Credit:Stuff

“The defendant was only discovered after a doctor recognised his name from a previous incident in 2012 when he was caught attending the University of Auckland without being accepted into the course,” the agreed summary of facts said.

“The defendant was trespassed from the university after that incident, having two years’ worth of tertiary education without authority.”

Stuff has previously reported on the incident and spoken to a fellow doctor who said Krishnan was found to have forged a student ID card and was doing cadaver dissections.

Judge Jane Forrest remanded Krishnan on bail and set a sentencing date for December.

Krishnan has been ordered not to have any contact with Te Whatu Ora staff and not to travel outside of New Zealand.

Krishnan is still under investigation by the police.

“No further charges have been laid at this stage, but as we’ve said previously we aren’t ruling out additional charges,” a police spokesperson said.

Stuff understands police searched two Auckland properties in August, connected with their investigation.

Before taking up the job at Middlemore, Krishnan was employed at Te Whatu Ora Te Toka Tumai Auckland, previously the Auckland District Health Board, from December 2020 until February 2022.

“During this period the individual carried out a non-clinical role under supervision. The role had no patient contact and did not require a practising certificate,” a Te Whatu Ora spokesperson said.

It is understood he worked at the Greenlane Medical Centre in a Covid-19 contact tracing team, calling high-risk people isolating with the virus.

While employed there, Krishnan was convicted of two driving charges: operating a vehicle carelessly and failing to stop or ascertain injury. He was convicted and discharged

However, he appealed to the High Court at Auckland, saying he was concerned about how the convictions would impact his eligibility to practise medicine in New Zealand and to train in the United States.

Krishnan provided two letters to the court to support his case – one supposedly from the Medical Council and one from James Worthy, an Auckland DHB clinic manager.

However, both the Medical Council and the DHB later said they did not provide those letters and there was no record of James Worthy working for the DHB.

He was granted a discharge without conviction.

Counties Manukau’s chief medical officer Dr Andrew Connolly has previously said the care of every patient seen by Krishnan at Middlemore had been reviewed and a “thorough” investigation showed there had been “no compromise” to any patient’s care.

However, one of Krishnan’s patients, who is immunocompromised, has said her treatment for her serious respiratory illness had been set back months.

“I feel let down. I’m angry,” the woman said.

“I feel stupid because he fooled me. He gave me so much false hope. All his medical advice means nothing.

“It’s months of my life wasted. It’s so overwhelming.”

Stuff.co.nz

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