WA doctor fined after practising while suspended
20 Aug 2026
Dr Patrick Nugawela was convicted of four offences involving falsely presenting himself as a registered medical practitioner. He was also ordered to pay $25,000 towards the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency’s (Ahpra) legal costs.
Dr Nugawela had been registered as a doctor for almost five decades. The Medical Board of Australia suspended him from 12 May 2023 to 4 March 2025 after finding that his conduct presented a serious risk to patients.
Despite the suspension, he continued consulting with patients between 16 May and 15 August 2023. During this period, he issued 147 prescriptions to 96 patients, including prescriptions for Schedule 4 medicines.
Ahpra began investigating after receiving a complaint from a pharmacy. The investigation resulted in four criminal charges.
Dr Nugawela initially pleaded not guilty, and his trial began in the Perth Magistrates’ Court on 21 July 2026. During the trial, he changed his plea and admitted all four charges.
On 18 August 2026, Magistrate Sandra De Maio convicted him and imposed the $15,000 fine and $25,000 in legal costs.
The court heard that Dr Nugawela did not charge patients for the prescriptions and that there was no evidence that patients were harmed. However, the magistrate noted that his long experience as a registered doctor meant he would have understood his professional responsibilities and knew that he was suspended.
Magistrate De Maio also found that he had shown no genuine remorse and described the offending as very serious. She said the case should reinforce the importance of doctors following the requirements of the National Law.
Dr Nugawela was not present at the sentencing hearing.
Ahpra CEO Justin Untersteiner said the outcome showed that practitioners could face serious consequences if they continued working while suspended.
He said suspensions are imposed when a registration board believes a practitioner’s conduct creates a serious risk to patients, and Ahpra would take action when practitioners ignored suspensions.
Patients who want to confirm whether a health practitioner is registered can check the Ahpra Register of practitioners.
WA doctor fined after practising while suspended
Source: Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra).