NEWARK – The State
Board of Medical Examiners at its monthly
meeting yesterday revoked the license of
an Ocean County-based physician who had
previously been suspended from practice
in April 2009.
The Board revoked the license
of Dr. Parvez Dara for a minimum four-year
period, retroactive to the start of his
suspension from practice. Dr. Dara can apply
for re-licensure after April, 2013, if he
meets re-education requirements set by the
Board.
The Board’s disciplinary
action against Dr. Dara follows an outbreak
of hepatitis B among patients treated at
his Toms River office linked to unsanitary
conditions there. Subsequent testing of
patients confirmed that at least 29 of Dr.
Dara’s patients were infected with
hepatitis B.
“The Board of Medical
Examiners’ actions in this matter
were focused on protecting the public from
a health threat that had, in fact, strickened
patients,” Attorney General Paula
T. Dow said. “License revocation is
appropriate, given the facts in this case.”
The revocation of the Dr.
Dara's license followed a lengthy hearing
at the Office of Administrative Law. In
reaching its decision, the Board found that
Dr. Dara’s office was unsanitary and
rife with breaches in standard infection
control practices, including inappropriate
reuse of a saline bag on multiple patients
throughout treatment days; failure to clean
up splashes of blood; syringes removed from
sterile wrapping and then left open for
use; and handling of medication vials and
common writing instruments with blood contaminated
gloves.
The State Department of Health and Senior
Services and the Ocean County Health Department
coordinated the public health epidemiological
investigation and response and sent letters
to approximately 2,800 patients seen by
Dr. Dara urging them to get tested for exposure
to hepatitis B and other bloodborne pathogens.
“The exposure of patients
to hepatitis B clearly demonstrated gross
negligence on the part of Dr. Dara,”
said Thomas R. Calcagni, Director of the
State Division of Consumer Affairs. “Our
licensing Boards will act to protect the
public when licensees do not follow professional
standards of conduct or violate our regulations
governing practice.”
Dr. Dara must complete re-education
in infection control and ethics training
prior to applying for re-licensure. The
Board assessed a $30,000 civil penalty and
reimbursement for its investigative and
legal costs, which are now being calculated.
Deputy Attorneys General
Siobhan Krier and Bindi Merchant of the
Professional Boards Prosecution Section
represented the State in this matter.
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