Supporters Rally Behind Murupara GP During First Week of Disciplinary Hearing

After nearly a five year wait, long serving Murupara GP Dr Bernard Conlon is half way through his New Zealand Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal hearing.

Since the hearing began on Monday, members of the community have shown their support for the Doctor each day.  

Kaikōrero o He Tākuta Tipua (a voluntary group coordinating Te Ika Whenua support for Dr Conlon) Mere Honeycombe said people from Murupara, Minginui, Galatea, Ruatāhuna and Kaingaroa communities have been eager to attend the hearings.  

"Our goal was to stand united, be informed, and to confidently support our doctor while he is going through this ordeal," she said.

On the first day, around 200 supporters showed up to the hearing in Rotorua. 

"From that hearing on that day, there were a few hiccups," she admitted but the hearings continued smoothly. 

Everyday since there have been "roughly around 50 to 60 people from our communities physically going in there to support him and his whānau. "

Some of these supporters have been taking time off work, and those who have been unable to attend have displayed support online when attendees post photos at the end of the day. 

Support will continue next week, Honeycombe expects many people will be in Rotorua support will be largest on the for the final day of the hearing March 20th. 

She said the kotahitanga, respect, and mana held in regard to the Doctor was driven by the support provided over the years. 

His work in Murupara shows "a lot of dedication and commitment to communities where we have a high population of Māori living here."

" And so we have invested our trust in him to advise and inform us around health," she said. 

His advise has impacted Honeycombe personally during tough periods of her life. 

"He has helped my whānau, especially in the hard stages where someone has passed away."

“Not only me, but others too, when we’ve had to look at care and ask, ‘How do we move forward from these dark times?’” 

She did not comment on how the community would be impacted if he was no longer able to practice. 

Before the Tribunal, Dr Conlon told 1xx he would face a number of complaints including those about his stance on Covid-19 vaccine mandates. 

Another complaint was put forward by Medsafe when Dr Conlon illegally imported Ivermectin (a drug used for scabies and parasites) from India for Covid treatment and prevention. 

The Ivermectin was seized by customs, and Conlon took Medsafe to court to challenge the confiscation - a case he lost. 

""The act of putting in the challenge then activated a tripwire and Medsafe put in a complaint against me to the Medical Council, stating that my actions were unprofessional," he said. 

Another complaint was made against him by a junior colleague at the Murupara practice.

At the time, Conlon did not outline the nature of the allegations. 

Dr Conlon previously told 1xxwhen he was suspended from practice for four months in 2022, a "major wave of COVID hit Murupara," which hit the practice and patients hard. 

Conlon said the Murupara Medical Centre was left with one GP, his wife Dr Britta Noske.

She had to manage nearly 4,000 patients "so it was basically a train wreck in slow motion." 

Many are now apprehensive about the decision the Tribunal will reach he said. 

"I think that they're running scared again, that they may experience something similar going forward," he said. 

The Tribunal will dictate if Conlon will retain his practicing certificate on March 20th.