A bogus surgeon who resorted to lie after lie to w
A bogus surgeon who resorted to lie after lie to work in the profession was banned today (Fri) for his repeated forgery.
Dr Abu Imtiaz Shafi, 33, was struck off in his absence a year after he was suspended for treating hundreds of emergency patients while operating with faked qualifications.
Even after Shafi was found guilty of serious professional misconduct by the GMC last year and barred from working for 12 months he tried to keep his job using yet more home-made paperwork.
And when reported for the second episode of misconduct, Shafi of (21) Streathbourne Road, Tooting, southwest London, compounded the ‘duplicity’ by writing letters, seeking to stall the case.
Shafi originally gained posts as a specialist registrar at London’s Central Middlesex and St Marys Hospitals by claiming he qualified as a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh in 1998.
But in reality he twice failed the exams.
Challenged over his qualifications in April 2001, Shafi said he was unable to produce his certificate.
Instead he handed in an undated and unsigned letter purporting to be from the Royal College in Edinburgh where the word ‘fail’ had been ‘corrected’ to ‘pass’.
A press report in August last year outlined the doctor’s suspension.
At the time he was working for Healix International who saw the report, confirmed the GMC’s findings and suspended Shafi.
But in a bid to keep his job he concocted a ’tissue of lies’ – including a letter apparently from the British Medical Association on behalf of the Medical Defence Union saying the hearing had taken place without his knowledge, and signed by a fictional lawyer, MK Miranda.
The forgery, described as a ’tissue of lies’, failed to save his job with the company who provide medical staff to help repatriate travellers.
Ultimately, it failed to save an otherwise unblemished career.
Striking Shafi off, Professor Jack Crane said Shafi was originally suspended for dishonesty but had since again attempted to use a forged document.
‘The matter was investigated and it was discovered that no such person worked for either the BMA or the MDU.
The letter was a forgery.
‘The committee found that his actions in relation to the letter were misleading and dishonest.
‘
The professor said doctors must be honest and trustworthy.
‘The committee consider Dr Shafi’s repeated dishonesty to be a very serious breach of the standards expected of a medical practitioner,’ he said.
‘Dr Sahfi’s repeated deceit found proved at his first hearing before this committee has been compounded by his further misleading and dishonest conduct as found proved today.
‘He has undermined again the trust his colleagues had placed in him, and the trust his employers expected of him.
Such behaviour undermines public confidence in the medical profession.
‘
The professor said the repeated dishonest behaviour was serious professional misconduct and anything less than striking his name from the medical register would fail to reflect gravity of the practitioner’s actions.
Professor Crane said the committee did not know whether the doctor now realised the seriousness of his conduct.
They had taken into account Shafi’s age and his unblemished career prior to 1999.
‘In his letter of September 4, 2003, Dr Shafi refers to his continuing ill-health,’ he said.
‘However, the committee has received no supporting evidence in this regard and accordingly, have not felt it appropriate to refer the case to the health committee.
‘
ends
mmmm
