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Banned doctor allegedly infected patients with hepatitis B at Sydney city beauty clinic
A banned doctor and convicted fraudster has been accused of infecting patients with hepatitis B at a beauty clinic in Sydney’s CBD after the state’s healthcare watchdog raided the Macquarie Street practice in its continued crackdown on cosmetic cowboys.
The Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) has urged anyone treated by a Dr Baz Demeza (real name Tommy Jodlovich) at the Smooth as Silk Laser and Cosmetic Clinic on Macquarie Street to come forward with any concerns about their treatment.
The Smooth As Silk Laser and Beauty Clinic owned by banned doctor Tommy Jodlovich. The business later moved to a smaller clinic on Macquarie Street.
Commissioner John Tansey said the watchdog had received new information from a patient who may have contracted hepatitis B as a result of loose infection control practices at the clinic.
“We are taking these allegations extremely seriously and [have] swiftly acted to protect the public in this case,” Tansey said. “An interim prohibition order has been imposed on Mr Jodlovich preventing him from providing any health services while the investigation continues.”
Hepatitis B, an infection of the liver that can lead to cirrhosis, cancer and death, is spread through contact with infected body fluids such as semen, saliva and blood. This can happen when needles or syringes are shared.
The commission alleges Jodlovich gave botulinum toxin (botox) and hyaluronic acid injections under the name Dr Baz Demeza despite losing his medical registration in 2021. Both procedures can be prescribed only by an authorised doctor and performed by a registered practitioner.
The commission said during the raid it also found evidence that indicated Jodlovich was posing as a doctor during online telehealth medical consultations and using expired medical products in these procedures.
The watchdog seized a large quantity of Schedule 4 (prescription-only) restricted medicines which only registered medical practitioners can legally hold, Tansey said.
The Macquarie Street clinic has been closed since the commission executed its search warrant on August 26. Its website, since deleted but visible through internet archives, offers “doctor-only injectables”, dermal filler, anti-wrinkle and bruxism injections.
Jodlovich was charged with fraud in 2018 for allegedly falsifying bank statements to inflate the sale value of one of his cosmetic businesses by more than half a million dollars.
The charge was later withdrawn and Jodlovich pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of dishonestly making false statements to obtain a financial advantage. He was convicted in 2019 and given an 18-month suspended jail sentence.
In a 2021 ruling, the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal found Jodlovich guilty of professional misconduct for failing to notify regulators of his conviction and cancelled his medical registration.
He declined to comment when contacted by the Herald.
Botox and dermal fillers have been the focus of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency’s review targeting rogue operators in the lucrative cosmetic industry.
The commission said Jodlovich did not keep patient records, which made it extremely difficult to track down those affected and determine how many people have been potentially exposed.
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