The defendant, aged in his 60s, had his case called before the High Court at Dunedin yesterday, although he was absent from the hearing, understood to still be in hospital.
He was charged with the murder of Jillian Sherie Clark after she was found dead at her Crichton home on January 23.
The defendant’s first court hearing was conducted beside his hospital bed earlier this month.
The man did not speak during that brief session and communicated using a whiteboard.
Details of his specific injuries and the treatment he had received were suppressed.
Yesterday, counsel Sarah Saunderson-Warner said she had faced some delays in obtaining instructions from her client because of his medical issues.
She sought continuation of name suppression, which was granted by Justice Cameron Mander.
Following Dr Clark’s death, bunches of flowers were laid at the foot of a sign reading "The Country Vet" outside her home.
Her family said they were in "utter shock and disbelief" at the incident.
"She was an unfailingly generous, big-hearted person, who always had a smile on her face,” they said.
The defendant will appear again in court next month.
