A doctor has been fined $8000 and must undergo routine drug testing after being found guilty of drug-related malpractice.

‘Dr N' made fraudulent entries in patient case notes and forged the signatures of colleagues in order to obtain drugs such as morphine for his own use.

The doctor, who has interim name suppression, had his case heard in Tauranga on April 12 and 13.

His offending stretches as far back as 2006, according to the decision released by the New Zealand Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal, and includes creating hundreds of false entries in drug registers for fentanyl, morphine, and pethidine.

Dr N explained he had become increasingly dependent on alcohol and prescription opioids over the eight years prior to his withdrawal from practice in 2014. In the three months before withdrawing on September 15, his alcohol and pethidine use escalated ‘significantly'.

The tribunal also found a ‘significant element of deceit' in the doctor's offending, including Dr N sneaking away from the family home to his surgery late at night in order to access drugs.

In his evidence, Dr N described being a rural practitioner as ‘stressful', but assured the tribunal he has not self-prescribed since September 2014.

Although normally any such offending would attract a period of suspension, the tribunal weighed that against other issues, including the necessity for rehabilitation of Dr N and ongoing provision of his medical expertise to the public, particularly in the areas he currently practises.

He currently works at a family medical practice, the manager of which (‘Miss A') gave evidence that Dr N had been completely frank with her about his personal circumstances and history. She said the impact of trying to replace Dr N, were he unable to continue practising, would be ‘devastating'.

She stressed his behaviour since joining the practice was ‘exemplary'.

As well as being fined $8000 and the requirement of regular drug testing, Dr N is prohibited from prescribing, administering or accessing controlled drugs of all classes; not permitted to work in sole practice; remain abstinent from alcohol and other drugs, unless prescribed; and pay an additional $18,000 in costs.