THE Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) has uncovered a scam by a person allegedly claiming to be able to cure cancers and using testimonials in his advertising.
The Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney found registered Chinese medicine practitioner Qi Xin Chen guilty of 30 charges filed by AHPRA.
Chen, the man behind the Australian Natural Medicine Center, was convicted of false, misleading or deceptive advertising through the publication on his websites of several articles about the treatment of cancer and other illnesses.
Such advertising "is prohibited under the National Law and would have created for consumers an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment," the court ruled.
Chinese Medicine Board of Australia Chair, Professor Charlie Xue said practitioners would be held accountable under the National Law for this kind of flagrant misuse of advertising.
Chen was fined $1,500 per offence, totalling $45,000, by the Court and was also ordered to pay $5,000 towards AHPRA's legal costs.
AHPRA CEO Martin Fletcher welcomed today's outcome "which sends an important message".
Visit ahpra.gov.au for the ruling.
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