Wrong doctor treats over 150 patients

Charge against false doctor: unemployed deceived patients and physicians

13/04/2011

An unemployed person pretended to be a doctor and treated patients. Again and again, the media report unbelievable cases in which people without the right expertise get employed as doctors and actually treat patients. Even in the current proceedings at the Stuttgart Regional Court this is a 27-year-old unemployed accused.

The charges against the wrong doctor include abuse of titles, fraud and assault. With a secondary school leaving certificate and without appropriate training, the unemployed should have spent several times as a doctor and treated more than 150 patients. It was astonishing that the alleged fraudster apparently did such a good job that he was even offered a permanent position - as an anesthetist at the Paracelsus Clinic in Munich.

Unemployed applied for a fake diploma as a doctor
Actually, the defendant was close to completing a legal rescue worker training. After passing the exam, the 27-year-old would only have had to complete a clinic internship. Instead, however, to complete the necessary practical phase, the defendant falsified the appropriate certificate, said the prosecutor at the Stuttgart district court. In the summer of 2009, the unemployed then falsified an approbation certificate as an anesthetist due to financial problems and thus applied to the Paracelsus Clinic in Munich. The alleged doctor received the job and has, according to the prosecutors, subsequently performed nearly 800 hours of service from August to December 2009 and performed about 150 treatments on patients. For his work, the unemployed received a total of almost 20,000 euros. At the same time he also worked as a helper at the German Red Cross in the Rems-Murr district and treated nine patients here. With his medical knowledge gained as a volunteer at DRK, the wrong doctor injected anesthetics, withdrew blood and administered infusions, according to the indictment at Stuttgart Regional Court.

False doctor received offer on permanent employment
But the accused apparently did not do any bad work, because the Munich clinic was so satisfied with the services that they even offered the wrong doctor at the end of 2009 a permanent position. For this, however, the 27-year-old unemployed lacked the required social security documents, so he had to reject the offer. Subsequently, the meanwhile thoroughly experienced physician applied again with forged approval certificate as an emergency doctor at the Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Horb. Again, his brazen approach fell on anyone and he got the job. Until January 2010, led the 27-year-old as an alleged emergency doctor in the hospital in Horb (Baden-Württemberg), another nine treatments to patients, before the fraudulent activities flown, said the prosecutor. His salary of just under 2,000 euros was no longer paid. The fact that the unemployed seem to have done a good job and that no patients have been seriously harmed is unlikely to play a role in the current practice. However, the indictment would certainly have been far more serious if the fraudulent behavior of the defendant had had less lenient consequences.

Defendant does not comment on the allegations
The accused did not comment on the allegations on the first day of the trial, as the trial had to be suspended because the psychiatric expert was still in another appointment. The trial at Stuttgart Regional Court against the wrong doctor is scheduled to continue on April 15. (Fp)

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