Dr Kok – Disciplined by Medical Board for Religious Convictions

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Dr Jereth Kok is a Victorian family doctor with over fifteen years of experience and an unblemished record of medical practice. The Medical Board received two anonymous complaints about Dr Kok’s personal social media posts about same-sex marriage, transgenderism, radical feminist theory and various conservative political issues. The complaints were not made by patients. 

Despite Dr Kok never receiving a complaint of discrimination or differential treatment from any of his patients, the Medical Board exercised emergency powers to investigate over ten years of his internet history and pick out potentially offensive comments. The investigation was conducted over 3 months without Dr Kok’s knowledge and he was given a week to provide his defence.

The Medical Board suspended Dr Kok’s registration to practice medicine on the basis that it was in “the public interest”. Dr Kok appealed to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and whilst the Tribunal acknowledged that “No evidence was placed before us to show that in his actual practice Dr Kok has not endeavoured to protect and promote the health of individuals and the wider community,” it upheld the decision to suspend Dr Kok pending the final outcome of the investigation.

Dr Kok has been suspended since August 2019 and his matter finally went to trial in July 2024 with a decision expected in early 2025 in his case which could result in sanctions ranging from a reprimand all the way up to being struck off as a doctor.

Dr Kok and his young family have endured more than 5 years of uncertainty about whether he will be able to rely on his professional qualifications to provide for his family in the future. While he waits for his day in court, Dr Kok has been forced to reckon with the mental anguish of having to retrain and find employment in a new industry. Without the help of HRLA and its supporters, Dr Kok and his family would have been forced to find hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover the cost of years of litigation.

If you or someone you know is involved in a similar case, we may be able to help. You can contact us via our Legal Help page.