A 27-year-old woman in Sydney, Australia allegedly pretended to be a registered doctor and worked at a major hospital in the city for eight months during the pandemic.
The woman is being investigated by police. A spokesperson for the Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital told the media on Monday they discovered the woman was not registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
The woman — whose name has not been revealed — “was immediately removed from their duties”, after which the hospital referred the matter to the New South Wales police for investigation.
The woman allegedly pretended to be a registered doctor at the hospital from January to August 2021 and was “fully supervised throughout that time,” 9News reported.
The hospital is also conducting an internal investigation into the matter and has reported the case to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency as well.
The 27-year-old woman allegedly faked documents to get the job at the hospital.
On Monday, the hospital asked her for paperwork that she couldn’t provide. Her bosses at the hospital, 7News reported, called the police immediately to investigate.
Such conduct could fall under the remit of several offences, including fraud, if proven.
Reports said the hospital’s doctors have been left shocked. One unidentified local was quoted by 7News as saying: “You have to be concerned about it but I wouldn’t expect this in our area, I think the doctors here are very good.”
“You can’t be treated by someone who’s not qualified to work, you’re putting yourself in danger,” another local said.
A person can also be prosecuted by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency for claiming to be a health professional without being registered with the relevant national board under Australian law, reported The Guardian.
A government survey recently revealed that more than a third – or 38 per cent of Australians – who lost their jobs during the early days of the pandemic were younger than 25.