A suspended Melbourne pharmacist has been accused of spreading "dangerous nonsense" about COVID-19 health restrictions and vaccinations in her bid to resume practising.
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Maria Stogiannis, who runs a Yarraville pharmacy, was suspended by the Pharmacy Board of Australia in March over her opposition to COVID-19 vaccinations and her failure to adhere to public health directions.
The board found she posed a serious risk to patients, did not have sound judgment and had not upheld the required standards of professional behaviour.
"Such conduct reflects flawed decision making and a blatant disregard for patient care and public safety," it said.
Ms Stogiannis applied to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to overturn the suspension, claiming she was not a danger to anyone.
She claimed governments, the media and health professionals lied about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.
She filed documents falsely asserting pharmaceutical company Pfizer made a "$2.8 million bribe payment" to gain US approval for its COVID-19 vaccines, labelling the immunisations a "bioweapon".
In another document she incorrectly claimed "many medical experts" believed mRNA vaccines caused AIDS.
She also argued the board's chair was not qualified to suspend her and she wanted her application to be heard in the Magistrates Court.
VCAT senior member Anna Dea refused her claim, finding it was not in the public interest for Ms Stogiannis to be allowed to return to practice.
"In my view, her theories regarding health measures directed at protecting Victorians from the COVID-19 pandemic might, at best, be described as misguided and, at worst, as dangerous nonsense," she said.
"It was of considerable concern to me that a health practitioner would, without applying critical thought, rely on material apparently circulating on the internet as to the efficacy of vaccines developed to protect people from COVID-19."
She said Ms Stogiannis had "fallen under the spell" of a world view removed from reality, inconsistent with the standards of the pharmacy profession.
Ms Dea urged her to seek proper legal advice, as she was represented by a person who was not legally trained at the proceedings.
She found Ms Stogiannis' submissions to be "ill-conceived" and "irrelevant" to her application, and gave her until April 19 to respond.
Australian Associated Press
