Fake hormone doctor treated patient after chance meeting at the airport
A Melbourne mother who pretended to be a hormone doctor and administered supplements to a patient which caused “debilitating pain” has escaped conviction.
Keti “Kate” Cvetkov, 48, met her victim by chance at Melbourne Airport in January 2016, claiming to be a doctor and hormone specialist on her way to a medical conference.
A Melbourne mother who pretended to be a hormone specialist and administered supplements to a patient which caused “debilitating pain” has escaped conviction. Credit: iStock
Krista Weymouth, a lawyer representing the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), told Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court the woman had been diagnosed with hormonal imbalances and chronic fatigue syndrome and took down Cvetkov’s details, contacting her for advice later that month.
Cvetkov told the sick woman she was booked out for weeks in advance at her clinic, instead offering her three discounted phone consultations, which took place in February, March and April 2021.
“She diagnosed the complainant with chronic nutritional deficiencies and very low hormone levels and said she could get the complainant well again,” Weymouth told the court. “She provided advice on when and how to take medications and said she would provide her with progesterone and other supplements.”
The woman paid $1560 for the phone consultations and unlabelled tablets, which Cvetkov said contained progesterone. While the woman initially felt that her symptoms had improved, she soon started experiencing muscle pains, twitches and hot flushes.
AHPRA argued Cvetkov should be convicted.
After about eight weeks of taking the medications, the complainant was “experiencing debilitating pain”, Weymouth said.
Cvetkov told the woman to stop taking the medication and diagnosed her with a condition called “serotonin syndrome” which she explained meant she needed to reset her hormones.
The woman repeatedly contacted Cvetkov to ask for information about the medications and invoices, but neither of these were provided to her.
Cvetkov pleaded guilty on Thursday to knowingly or recklessly claiming to be a registered health practitioner, ending a long-running courtroom saga that was adjourned nine times.
In 2022, AHPRA banned Cvetkov from providing general health advice for life. The Victorian Health Complaints Commissioner had also issued a public health warning about Cvetkov following an investigation into her conduct.
A lawyer acting for Cvetkov said her client had no previous criminal record and had been practising naturopathy since 2000, holding a degree in health science as well as advanced diplomas in herbal medicine, natural medicine, fertility, naturopathy and endocrinology. She said it was common for naturopaths to refer to themselves as doctors.
“She has never acknowledged that she is a medical doctor and has always held out that she is a naturopathic doctor,” the lawyer said.
She argued Cvetkov did not intend to mislead the woman and the medications provided were off-the-shelf supplements including amino acids and fish oil.
The court heard a conviction would make it difficult for Cvetkov to find employment and she had faced significant personal challenges, including her house burning down in 2019.
Cvetkov no longer wants to work as a naturopath and is the sole caregiver for her two children.
Magistrate John Bentley said Cvetkov had taken advantage of a person in a vulnerable position.
“She misled the person and made financial gain from it. Charged $1500 for phone consultations and pills that one could get from the chemist, probably for...considerably less.”
While AHPRA had hoped that Cvetkov would be convicted, Bentley issued her with a $10,000 fine and ordered her to pay costs of $10,000.
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