Doctor worked at hospital for five months before CV lies revealed
A DOCTOR who was found guilty of misconduct after lying about his CV succeeded in working in a hospital for five months before the fraud came to light.
Nigerian-born Dr Ikedinachukwu Nwankwor fabricated part of his work record to give the impression he was more experienced than he was when he applied for a job at Wexford General Hospital in Wexford town.
Last night, the HSE did not specify which unit of the hospital he worked in during the five-month period.
Dr Nwankwor was found guilty of professional misconduct by the Medical Council on June 11 following a fitness to practise hearing which was carried out in April.
He claimed he had more experience and training than he actually had , it emerged yesterday.
The council announced that the findings of the inquiry would be "taken into account" if the doctor tried to apply to work here again.
Wexford General Hospital insisted yesterday that, at the time Dr Nwankwor was appointed, "verification of registration and other standard checks had been satisfactory".
It confirmed he worked at Wexford General during January last year and it was not until May that the fabrications in his CV were discovered.
The doctor had claimed to have held a number of previous posts in hospitals which turned out to be untrue.
While he was employed as a senior house officer in Wexford General, no issues of concern arose during his time there.
However, "inconsistencies in Dr Nwankwor's employment history were established in the course of routine checks prior to incremental payments that might be due", a spokesman told the Irish Independent.
Unsatisfactory
"Following unsatisfactory responses to requests for clarification, the HSE relieved the doctor concerned of his duties in May 2008.
"Following the doctor's dismissal, the HSE referred the matter of inconsistencies relating to the . . . employee to the Medical Council."
The Medical Council said Dr Nwankwor made an application to be allowed on the Irish register in April 2006 and claimed on his CV he had held a number of previous hospital posts .
On three separate occasions, he submitted CVs which were "inconsistent". He also further misrepresented his position in a letter dated April 15 to the medical manpower manager of Wexford General.
The case again highlights the need to tighten up pre-employment checks of doctors from abroad who take up work in Irish hospitals .
It emerged last year that a pathologist at the centre of delayed cancer misdiagnosis in Cork and Galway University hospitals was on sick leave from his post in Finland.
Antoine Geagea, a 57-year-old pathologist moved to Ireland in September 2006 and registered with the Medical Council without difficulty, taking a temporary consultant post at the pathology lab in University College Hospital Galway .
A telephone call to his employers at the Helsinki and Uusimaa public hospital would have easily established his history, but the checks were not made.
- Eilish O'Regan Health Correspondent
