Bogus doctor jailed in Finland

A young man with no medical training has been jailed after posing as a doctor for a year in clinics in Finland. The 24 year-old was found guilty of fraud, forgery and practicing medicine without a licence after faking medical documents and working at health centres in Karjaa and Karkkila in the southwest of the country.

The Western Uusimaa District Court handed down a sentence of 18 months in prison to the man on Wednesday 29th September.

The fraudster posed as a doctor at a Karkkila clinic for around a year without ever being discovered, before continuing his ruse for about two months at a surgery in Karjaa. According to officials, he treated around 1,000 patients and wrote hundreds of prescriptions.

Despite his apparent lack of expertise, police say that there is no evidence that anyone was injured under the phony practitioner’s care. It is not the first time, however, that someone has be caught posing as a doctor in Finland.

In response to this most recent case, Finland’s National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (VALVIRA) has this month opened up a register of medical professionals. Members of the public will now be able to check the credentials of anyone claiming to be a doctor or a nurse.