Dr Cynthia Weinstein, a plastic surgeon in Melbourne has chosen to deregister herself prior to medical board hearing into allegations of botched surgery.

Due to face formal hearing into her medical practices yesterday, the plastic surgeon failed to show up, citing personal reason behind her choice to cancel the registration. She was accused of breaching operating bans placed on her by the Medical practitioners Board in 2000.

Instead of fighting the allegations, she decided to request the board for the cancelation of her registration as a medical practitioner and stated that she will not apply for medical license in Australia and New Zealand.

Dr Weinstein was accused of paying off a patient so that they would not file complaints against her for leaving a patient with significant facial asymmetry which required extra procedures to correct, and leaving a suture material visible under the skin.

She was also accused for improper laser treatment performance on a patient without covering their eyes and had directed her staff to perform duties such as laser treatment when they were not trained to do so.

The medical board found Dr Weinstein defrauding Medicare by billing them for work she had inappropriately delegated to others, in 2005.

The latest statement released by the medical board stated its role was to protect the public and it believes that it had achieved this through the cancellation of Dr Weinstein's medical registration. Her deregistration takes effect from the end of April.

Without registration, Dr Weinstein cannot practice medicine, the statement stated.

Australia