Doctor struck off for misconduct continued practising for five years
The GP deliberately took jobs in areas that lacked doctors, and falsified documents
The GP deliberately went for jobs in areas that were chronically lacking in doctors, and falsified documents despite being struck off
Iryna Rahalskaya / Shutterstock
A doctor who was struck off for misconduct in 2018 continued to practise for five years across 16 different hospitals in France, it has emerged.
The 73-year-old mainly continued practising in Bernay (Eure, Normandy), Château-Chinon (Nièvre, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté) and Bar-sur-Aube (Aube, Grand Est). The hospitals he practised in were also in areas known as ‘medical deserts’, where access to doctors is difficult and there is a lack of GPs.
Read also: Seven questions about ‘medical deserts’ in France
The GP had been struck off and banned from practising medicine after being convicted of abusing his power and obtaining unnecessary cheques from vulnerable care home residents.
The investigation into his unlawful practising began after a report from the President of the Ordre des Médecins in Aube, the public prosecutor's office in Troyes (Aube) said.
The man also stands accused of falsifying documents in order to be hired.
“The accused provided his medical diplomas each time he was hired,” the prosecutor said. “Sometimes [he] even used a registration card for the Ordre des Médecins that had been falsified using one of his old ID cards.”
Searches at the man’s home have so far revealed prescriptions written in 2023, and photocopies of a doctor’s card dated 2022, four years after the GP was struck off. The prosecutor has already claimed €259,000 in salary from the accused man, as it was gained “for illegal activity”, the office said.
The accused was arrested on January 10, and is now in police custody. He has since been referred to the court and has been placed under judicial supervision. The case has now been passed to the Fontainebleau (Seine-et-Marne) research team, for the illegal practice of medicine.
The former GP is now set to appear in court in Troyes in June. He risks up to two years in prison and a fine of up to €30,000.
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