Antwan Barich
Introduction
Antwan Barich is an Australian medical practitioner whose registration was cancelled by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal after the Health Care Complaints Commission prosecuted a complaint that, at various times between 2018 and 2023, he inappropriately obtained drugs without valid prescriptions and exported them to Lebanon, inappropriately prescribed fentanyl to four patients, prescribed alprazolam to two patients without proper authority, and prescribed schedule 4 drugs to a patient in a way that did not accord with recognised therapeutic standards. In its decision of 4 September 2026 the Tribunal found those elements of the complaint proven, found him guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and professional misconduct, cancelled his registration and imposed a two-year non-review period.
Background Information
Barich practised as a medical practitioner in New South Wales. The conduct spanned roughly five years, from 2018 to 2023, and involved two distinct strands: the supply side — obtaining drugs without valid prescriptions and exporting them to Lebanon — and the prescribing side — fentanyl, a high-risk opioid, alprazolam, a benzodiazepine subject to strict authority controls, and schedule 4 drugs prescribed in quantities and for purposes outside recognised therapeutic standards. The Health Care Complaints Commission, the NSW body that prosecutes serious complaints about health practitioners, brought the matter before the Tribunal, the state’s civil and administrative appeals and disciplinary tribunal.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Tribunal findings. The findings below are the formal adjudications of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal in a case prosecuted by the Health Care Complaints Commission. They were found proven in the Tribunal’s decision of 4 September 2026. The sources report no criminal proceedings arising from the conduct.
It was alleged that at various times between 2018 and 2023 Dr Barich inappropriately obtained drugs without valid prescriptions and exported them to Lebanon; inappropriately prescribed fentanyl to four patients; prescribed alprazolam to two patients without proper authority; and inappropriately prescribed schedule 4 drugs to a patient where the quantity and purpose did not accord with the recognised therapeutic standard. In its decision of 4 September 2026, the Tribunal found those elements of the complaint proven, found him guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and professional misconduct, cancelled his registration as a medical practitioner and imposed a non-review period of two years.
Public Reaction and Consequences
The Health Care Complaints Commission published its media release announcing the cancellation on 14 September 2026. Cancellation with a two-year non-review period means Barich cannot seek review of the cancellation before September 2028, and any future application would still need to satisfy the Tribunal that he is fit to practise. The exportation finding — drugs obtained without valid prescriptions and sent to Lebanon — is the most unusual element of the case and sits alongside the domestic prescribing findings in the Tribunal’s conclusion that his conduct amounted to professional misconduct.
Current Status
Barich’s medical registration in Australia is cancelled, with the non-review period running two years from the decision. He cannot practise as a medical practitioner in Australia while unregistered, and the Tribunal’s findings are published on NSW Caselaw, where the full decision is available. The Commission’s release did not report any public response from Barich.
Impact on Their Career/Life
A medical career is over for at least the non-review period and realistically for the long term: a cancellation for professional misconduct involving drug diversion and high-risk opioid prescribing is among the findings least likely to be overturned on review, because it goes to the practitioner’s fundamental reliability in handling controlled substances. For patients, the case illustrates the enforcement end of Australia’s scheme for controlling fentanyl and alprazolam, both tightly restricted because of diversion and overdose risk. Barich’s name now sits in the published record of NSW disciplinary outcomes.
Sources
- NSW Health Care Complaints Commission, “Dr Antwan Barich – Medical Practitioner – Cancellation for unsatisfactory professional conduct and professional misconduct,” 14 September 2026 — source