A homeopathic consultant could be misleading the public by calling himself a doctor, according to the Ministry of Health. Raghubir Singh Rehan has operated Universal Homeopathic NZ in Papatoetoe, south Auckland, since 2007 under the nickname Dr Preet. Signage outside the business on Great South Rd says “doctor, open” surrounded in small print and its website refers to Rehan as “a qualified homeopathic consultant and well known doctor”. However, it was illegal to claim to be a health practitioner of a particular type if unqualified in that field under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance (HPCA) Act 2003, Ministry of Health chief legal advisor Phil Knipe said. A level 10 tertiary Doctoral Degree was required to obtain the title ‘doctor’ in New Zealand. Rehan’s Diploma in Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery from Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University in India only translates to a level seven graduate diploma, certificate or bachelors degree. Rehan said Dr Preet was simply a nickname to avoid confusion over the pronunciation of his name, but he was free to use the title as it had been awarded to him in India.
