The Medical Licencing Department at SCH has since April detected more than 60 cases where foreign applicants seeking a private licence to practise in Qatar had submitted fake documents.
In April, the Department had signed an agreement with DataFlow, a leading international document verification and screening company, to scrutinise the credentials of all foreign healthcare workers who apply
for a licence. This was to prevent fraudulent medical practitioners from operating in the country.
“Over the last two years, we have witnessed more than 100 percent increase in the number of foreigners applying for a medical licence to practise in Qatar. Since we launched the new certificate verification system in April, we have also detected a number of cases — more than 60 — where people tried to procure a licence using false documents and certificates” Dr Jamal Rashid Al Khanji, Director of the Department told The Peninsula yesterday.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a workshop for private healthcare practitioners at the SCH premises. “Every week we come across two or three such incidents. The offences include using fake degree certificates and experience certificates, forging the stamp and seal of the certifying authorities, among others,” he added.
He said such candidates will be immediately blacklisted not only in Qatar, but also in other GCC countries.
If it is proved that any licensed healthcare practitioner in Qatar had procured the licence using fake documents, the licence will be cancelled and the person will be prosecuted.
Asked if there were plans to re-check the credentials of all the existing private healthcare practitioners in the country through the international agency, the official said: “We don’t think there is a need to do that since we are closely monitoring all the licensed healthcare practitioners.”
