Doha: The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) stated that strict inspecting procedures during the year helped find 23 health practitioners with forged certificates, who applied for licenses to practice the profession in the health sector of Qatar. The applicants include 17 doctors, 4 allied medical professionals and two nurses.
The Ministry, represented by the Department of Healthcare Professions, undertakes procedures to verify the validity of scientific credentials and factual experiences, in addition to other documents required for licensing, as these procedures contribute to detecting any fraud before registering the health practitioner to work in the country.
“The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) applies the highest standards followed for registering and licensing health practitioners in various specialties, for those who want to work in the health sector in the State of Qatar, in a manner that guarantees to raise the level of health services provided in the country,” a statement said.
Most of the forged certificates were certificates of experience, and legal actions were taken against them and they were blacklisted and banned from working in the country, in addition to circulating their names in the GCC countries according to the followed measures.
Director of the Department of Healthcare Professions at MOPH Dr. Saad Rashid Al Kaabi said: Through our procedures, we are keen to verify the validity of the certificates and documents provided and ensure that the practitioners applying for registration and licensing are among those who value the ethics of the profession and know the trust commended to them.
He explained that verifying the authenticity of documents at a very early stage of the registration and licensing procedures and before the involvement of any health practitioner to work in the country contributed to the early detection of fraud cases and the protection of patients, which confirms the importance of the procedures followed at (MOPH) represented in the Department of Health Professions as the competent authority to deal with the certificates and documents submitted by health practitioners of various categories and specialties, which are received from various countries to obtain licenses to practice the profession in the State of Qatar.
It is noteworthy that the team responsible for registration and licensing at MOPH conducts personal interviews with the health practitioner in the presence of a representative from the entity he intends to work with to discuss with him the forged certificate of experience and hear his statements and defenses, if it is proven with certainty that the forgery has occurred, appropriate legal actions shall be taken against him.
(Story updated with more information)