The British authorities are currently reviewing the records of up to 3,000 doctors after it turned out that a woman who had been a psychologist at the British Health Authority for 22 years had false qualifications before being convicted of trying to cheat a patient. Zulia Alemy was sentenced to five years in prison last month for forging the will of an 84-year-old patient as part of an attempt to seize her £ 1.3 million fortune after meeting her at a dementia clinic in Warrington, 2016. After the trial, an investigation by The News and Star revealed that Alemy, 56, had worked in the UK for more than two decades with false qualifications from the University of Auckland.
It was found that the fraudster had lost her first year at the New Zealand College of Medicine in 1992, but then was convicted as a doctor at the General Medical Council in Britain using a fake university degree and a false basic medical qualification and a false letter of recommendation from her most recent job in Pakistan.
This investigation led to an urgent review of all records of physicians registered with the Medical Board under the recruitment program that stopped in the 1990s, allowing graduates of medical schools in some Commonwealth countries to work in the UK without having to take the exam.
A spokesman for the council said it was an incredibly rare case, but it spurred the immediate start of a thorough review, after the shocking news from News & Star about Alemi's false qualifications was read.
In October, the court heard how the fake advisory fraud on the old woman Gillian Bellam, who was struggling to deal with her husband's death, was finally faked. Alemy Pelam ratified and redrafted her will, and gave herself the right to dispose of her property under a power of attorney. She was convicted of four counts of fraud and theft at the Carlyle Crown Court and sentenced to five years' imprisonment.
Commenting on the case, Chief Medical Officer, Charlie Massey, said: "It is very worrying that women have used a false qualification to join the registry, and we are working to understand how this happens." We continue to cooperate with police and other agencies, including The Health Authority, so that you can take any necessary action to support patients, and answer any questions they may have ».
"Our procedures are more accurate now, with rigorous testing to ensure that those who join the Medical Board are suitable to work in the UK. It is clear that in this case the steps taken in the 1990s were insufficient, and we apologize for any risk to the patients as a result. We are confident that our systems are stronger 23 years after this mistake, as any fraud attempt to join the medical record can be monitored. "
Exploitation of trust
Patients are well cared for by professional and qualified doctors. The CEO of the General Medical Council, Charlie Massey, asserts appropriately that they place a great deal of trust in doctors. "So taking advantage of this trust and respectable profession is a disgrace." A police spokesman said the police were coordinating with the General Medical Council and would initiate further criminal investigations into allegations of fraud and other possible crimes. The spokesman declined to comment further because the time was not appropriate.
- Investigation paid to urgent review of all records
Doctors who have registered in the Medical Board, under
The recruitment program which stopped at
1990s, allowing graduates of medical schools, in some
Commonwealth countries, working in the United Kingdom.