'He told me it was my fault': Patients lift lid on psychiatrist still allowed to practise

Dr Digvijay Goel has spent nearly 60 years building an exemplary career as a psychiatrist. His CV includes an impressive list of achievements: more than 30 years in the Armed Forces Medical Services in India; working in an advisory role for the World Health Organisation; a consultant psychiatrist at Southland Hospital since 2005. Dr Goel, aged in his 80s, trained the first nurse practitioner in the Invercargill hospital and has supervised many newly appointed physicians and medical officers. He received the University of Otago Medical School ‘Excellence Award for Long Standing Contribution to Teaching’ in 2021. While much of his career has been celebrated, multiple patients have also complained about his conduct. In March last year, in a small conference room at an Invercargill hotel, three complainants detailed harrowing interactions with Dr Goel in front of the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. The tribunal hearing followed a series of complaints to the Health and Disability Commission (HDC) several years earlier that resulted in a series of remediatory actions. The complainants’ concerns were further validated when the tribunal found Dr Goel guilty of professional misconduct. Nearly a year later its full decision called his behaviour with patients “inflammatory, derogatory, and disrespectful”. “Dr Goel is a senior practitioner and was role modelling very poor standards for those he was supervising,” it said. Since the hearing he has continued in his work with little impediment. He also continues to teach the next generation of psychiatrists. He works for Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora (HNZ), teaches University of Otago medical students and even presented at the World Congress of Psychiatry in Prague late last year. The mother of one of the patients involved in the disciplinary tribunal process, Sarah*, made her initial complaint more than seven years ago and said it was “surprising” the psychiatrist continued to work. “What has concerned me has been that in all of that time that he has continued to practise, that he teaches, and he has other people sitting in with him,” she said. “He really hasn't demonstrated that he's learned anything. And so if he still doesn't have the insight and empathy, then how is he behaving towards his patients?” Since the disciplinary process ended, more patients have come forward about how Dr Goel, who holds a practising certificate which expires in May next year, treated them. Just last year, after a further complaint about his conduct, the Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) said she “still hold[s] concerns about the appropriateness of Dr Goel’s conduct and fitness to practice”. The decision In April this year the disciplinary tribunal released its damming decision, detailing its finding that Dr Goel’s behaviour amounted to professional misconduct. One patient, who was under the care of Dr Goel between 2016 and 2019, had been described by the psychiatrist as bursting into ‘‘rather melodramatic tears’’. He later said the same patient had a ‘‘sense of entitlement and an aura of victimhood’’. Another had been struggling with cannabis-induced psychotic disorder and had recently overdosed when Dr Goel said their ‘‘suicidal stunts’’ were a ‘‘consciously motivated attempt at emotional blackmail’’. In a recording of an assessment of that patient, Dr Goel was asked if he was going to send the patient home to die. The psychiatrist responded: ‘‘Well that’s up to him. I can’t help him. Because he takes cannabis’’. Sarah was the other complainant. Her son was admitted to hospital in October 2014 because he had experienced a psychotic and manic relapse. Dr Goel recorded her son’s behaviour as ‘‘pathetic antics’’ and noted he told him to ‘‘cut this crap out’’, which caused the patient to ‘‘shut up’’. Other times, Dr Goel described Sarah’s son as ‘‘even more unpleasant than he usually is’’, ‘‘obnoxious’’ and ‘‘trying to behave like a spoilt child throwing a tantrum’’. He also compared her son to a “captured Sikh and Islamist terrorist”. Dr Goel, who completed an educational programme after the initial HDC investigation, told the tribunal he had worked tirelessly in his field and framed his wrongdoings as ‘‘lapses’’ in judgment. The tribunal found his behaviour breached professional and ethical standards and amounted to professional misconduct and ‘‘was not just an instance of a practitioner losing his cool in difficult circumstances’’ but that it had a ‘‘negative impact on his patients’’. It has the power, where a finding of professional misconduct has been made, to cancel a practitioner’s registration, suspend their registration for up to three years, impose conditions on a practising certificate, impose a censure and/or a fine and order the practitioner to pay costs. Dr Goel was censured, fined $3000 and ordered to pay costs of $34,563.42. The tribunal considered suspension was unnecessary, noting Dr Goel had “clearly reflected”, including via the remedial actions he had undertaken. “A suspension is no longer necessary to allow for this. It would also deprive the community of a psychiatrist who is able to provide competent and safe care.” Sarah complained on her son’s behalf more than seven years ago, after she found evidence of Dr Goel’s belittling communication with him. Her son died shortly after he requested a new psychiatrist. The cause of his death cannot be reported. She said the disciplinary tribunal’s decision had provided some relief and given her a sense of comfort the “ordeal” was finally over. But she had struggled with how long it had taken. “For something to take seven-and-a-half years and that person can continue to practise without censure in that time, is very frustrating. [Missing Credit]Psychiatrist Dr Digvijay Goel was censured for professional misconduct. Photo: Supplied His career carries on Late last year, Dr Goel flew to Prague to present his research at the World Congress of Psychiatry. His presentations included: a “pro and con debate: is psychiatry becoming more coercive?” and “ADHD: Time to hit the pause button?”. The congress website advertised its speaking sessions as an opportunity for practitioners to “expand your understanding of psychiatry's frontiers!” “Get ready for captivating discussions led by renowned psychiatrists, esteemed researchers, and visionary experts as they unravel the intricacies of the human mind,” the website read. The organisation which runs the World Congress of Psychiatry did not respond to questions from the ODT about whether they were aware of Dr Goel’s recent censure and if it was appropriate to allow him to present at the congress given the finding of professional misconduct. Dr Goel also continues to teach at the University of Otago. A spokeswoman for the university said he held an unpaid role as a clinical senior lecturer through an agreement with HNZ that was in place as long as the person remained in employment with HNZ. “The teaching work carried out by specialist medical staff of Health NZ is greatly valued and appreciated by the Faculty of Medicine – Dunedin,” she said. “The ongoing professional conduct of a doctor providing teaching in a clinical role with Health New Zealand is overseen by the Medical Council of New Zealand, as required by the clinician’s employer, Health New Zealand.” Asked if the disciplinary tribunal finding of professional misconduct raised concerns about Dr Goel’s work with the university the spokeswoman pointed out Dr Goel remained on the Register of Doctors with the Medical Council of New Zealand and that he had a current practising certificate. While HNZ Southern group director of operations Craig Ashton would not comment on Dr Goel’s employment status, he acknowledged the disciplinary tribunal decision. “Every patient has the right to be treated with dignity, respect and compassion, and we sincerely apologise to those affected for the distress caused,” he said. “We remain committed to patient safety, listening to concerns when they are raised, and supporting our workforce to provide safe, respectful, and high‑quality care.” Another complaint At the disciplinary tribunal hearing, Dr Goel stressed the incidents were confined to three patients over a five year period (2014 to 2019) and that he had an otherwise “exemplary” career. His lawyer Mr Holloway submitted there was no evidence of any shortcomings beyond the conduct identified in the charges and his contribution to his service had “otherwise been exemplary”. There was “no ongoing risk to the public” and Dr Goel was a “competent and caring doctor”, he said. But since then, other patients have come forward with criticisms about Dr Goel. One woman, Emma, complained to the Health and Disability Commission (HDC) last year outlining the distress the psychiatrist caused her when she saw him in 2022. She was admitted to hospital after attempting suicide after she was sexually assaulted by a visitor in her home. When she explained the situation to Dr Goel, he placed some blame on her for the assault. “He flat out told me that it was my fault. . . because I was BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) risk-taking by letting the person into my house,” she said. “I just burst into tears.” “I was shocked.” Staff gave Emma information about how to make a complaint in 2022 but she was “way too broken at that point to do it”. “I went from being traumatised yet hopeful for a future to feeling so defeated that suicide was my only option,” she wrote in her 2025 complaint to the HDC. In his response to the HDC regarding the complaint, Dr Goel expressed “deep regret for any distress I caused”, though he did not entirely accept the numerous allegations made. “I accept that the tone of my communication caused her distress, however I would like to assure the HDC that my advice was cautionary and well-intended, given her complex history and presentation of helplessness,” he said. “I do not accept that I told [Emma] the sexual assault suffered was ‘entirely her fault’. I acknowledge that I did have discussions with [Emma] with the goal of empowering her to take responsibility for her own life and the importance of avoiding risk taking.” He pointed to the education he completed since his clinical interactions with Emma, which was “aimed at addressing concerns similar to those raised by [Emma], namely my communication style with patients”. “I found the education programme to be extremely useful for my own learning and reflection, and it highlighted to me the importance of understanding the perspectives of my many vulnerable patients and having the skills to balance these needs against my duties as their psychiatrist to apply my clinical knowledge and expertise in order to offer my best care,” he said. But deputy commissioner Dr Vanessa Caldwell was not convinced Dr Goel had learned his lesson. “While I acknowledge Dr Goel has since completed an educational programme, in my view, his response continues to show a lack of insight into how his communication with you could be received and the impact it may have had on you,” she said in a document sent to Emma, seen by the Otago Daily Times. “I have therefore decided to refer this to the Medical Council of New Zealand as I still hold concerns about the appropriateness of Dr Goel’s conduct and fitness to practice.” The Medical Council considered it and advised Emma of its decision via a letter. The content of the letter is confidential. Emma said she was unhappy with the outcome. As part of the HDC process, Mr Ashton, writing as HNZ Southern’s interim group director of operations, had more to say. He noted a social worker and a nurse asked Dr Goel to leave during Emma’s discharge meeting immediately after the psychiatrist made comments to Emma that were “not what we would expect from a member of the service or reflect the organisation’s values”. He also noted they had followed up with the psychiatrist to express their concerns about the impact his behaviour could have on Emma. Southern HNZ “sincerely apologised” for Emma’s experience during her time in the inpatient mental health unit, Mr Ashton said. “Dr Goel is aware he needs to be mindful in his communication and continues to work on this. “Dr Goel takes feedback and seeks this; he continues to learn and grow with his ongoing commitment to education and doing the best for his patients.” [Missing Credit]Dr Goel was a consultant psychiatrist at Southland Hospital for a large portion of his career. Photo: ODT files Patient “so scared” of Dr Goel Dr Goel being named in an Otago Daily Times article in April about his disciplinary tribunal censure brought back unwelcome memories for Southland woman Robyn Burns. She encountered Dr Goel when she went to Southland Hospital about 2007 while struggling with severe depression. “I felt so scared of that man,” she said. Mrs Burns recalled the psychiatrist “literally grunted” when he opened her file and did not talk to her and her husband. “I can see why people would take their lives as opposed to going back into mental health after being treated the way that he [treated me],” she said. There was “no way” she would return to Southland Hospital for help knowing there was “someone like that” there, she said. “You're treated as so insignificant and unimportant, and almost bad for feeling the way you feel; that it's your problem and you need to sort it out,” she said. Mrs Burns did not made a formal complaint about the way Dr Goel treated her because she “was really in a bad state” at the time and was not aware of the process. Support for man doing ‘tough job’ Dr Goel, however, is not without friends. One woman who worked with him praised him and described his ways as simply “old school”. Helen Raroa worked as a support worker in the mental health sector for over 25 years. She knew the psychiatrist for her whole career and had sometimes shared clients with him. “Any client that I had, he treated them with the utmost respect,” she said. The psychiatrist was “old school” and did not appreciate patients wasting his time. “We need more people like Dr Goel,” she said. She thought the way he was treated by the tribunal was “disgusting, actually. . . with all these court costs and fines and everything”. “He has morals, you know, like people would go out and take drugs and self-harm and then expect the doctors to fix it. “The man's there doing a job, and it is a tough job.” The Otago Daily Times tried to reach Dr Goel through his lawyer for comment for this story, including about the new concerns raised, but they declined to comment. Recognition The disciplinary tribunals written decision declined Dr Goel’s application for final name suppression. Sarah said the best that could happen to Dr Goel “because he is so arrogant” was for him to have his name in the public domain and have to “cope with the shame of that”. She was glad he had been censured. “I am really pleased that there has been this outcome, absolutely, for [my son] and the others,” she said. “It is an acknowledgement that that treatment was totally unacceptable [and] the complaint process, even though it might take a long time, it does work.” She was not surprised more people had since revealed their difficult interactions with the psychiatrist and hoped her persistence in complaining would encourage others. “I'm just hopeful that others will come forward and feel that, you know, that they can make a complaint and that it can work, and that he has been censured and held to account, and I think that's really important,” she said. But it was bittersweet. “I suppose the sadness is that [my son] didn't get to see this, because it was about him,” she said. *names changed to protect anonymity felicity.dear@odt.co.nz Timeline: January 2019: First HDC complaint against Dr Goel. Two more follow. The HDC investigates. December 2, 2021: Commissioner issues finding, recommends Dr Goel apologise, provide a reflective statement and complete further training. Medical Council notified of HDC outcome — requires Dr Goel to undergo performance committee process, undertake further training and meet a supervisor monthly. November 2023: Dr Goel completes all recommended actions. June 27, 2024: Disciplinary tribunal lays charge of professional misconduct. April 2025: Disciplinary tribunal hearing finds Dr Goel should be censured. May 2025: Emma files complaint with HDC. October 2025: Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner issues letter concerned about Dr Goel’s conduct and fitness to practise. Refers complaint to Medical Council. March 2026: Medical Council advises Emma of its decision. (Decision is confidential to Emma and Dr Goel) April 8, 2026: Disciplinary tribunal releases final written decision. Dr Goel can be named. Need help? Health & Disability Advocacy Service: 0800 555 050 Healthline: 0800 611116 Lifeline Aotearoa: 0800 543 354 Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) Alcohol Drug Helpline: 0800 787 797 General mental health inquiries: 0800 44 33 66 Aoake Te Rā – bereaved by suicide service: 0800 000 053