A Richmond doctor has received a life-time ban from practicing medicine in B.C. for scamming the system.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. said their decision to ban Dr. Gustavo Carvalho from practicing medicine comes after “decades of regulatory actions taken against him and attempted remediation.”
Carvalho admitted to unprofessional conduct, after being investigated by the college for improper billing. Effective Jan. 1, he will no longer be allowed to practice medicine.
The college found Carvalho had breached conditions imposed on him to work under supervision and in an office with other doctors.
The college noted he had been reprimanded and fined several times, dating back to 1993.
Carvalho was suspended and fined $20,000 in 1993 after billing for services not rendered. In 2003, his name was erased from the medical register following a conviction of indictable offenses.
In 2012, he was again suspended and fined $50,000 for making improper claims to the Medical Services Plan (MSP). In 2016, he admitted unprofessional conduct and was fined $5,000. Also, in 2016, he was ordered to repay $190,000 after making 232 fraudulent claims to the MSP.
At that point, he was barred for life from re-enrolling with MSP.
In 2018, he was reprimanded for “failing to provide medical records in a timely manner” and suspended and fined for “unprofessional conduct.”
Breaches that led to his lifetime ban include not securing patient records, not working in an office with other doctors and not consulting the college on patient volume and hours of practice.
The ban on Carvalho from practicing in B.C. starting in the new year was announced by the College of Physicians and Surgeons on Wednesday.