Irish GP Found Guilty of Professional Misconduct Over Fraudulent Insurance Documents and Inappropriate HRT Prescriptions
A Dublin-based General Practitioner, Dr. Chasib Al-Maliky, has been found guilty of professional misconduct by a Medical Council fitness-to-practise committee. The charges relate to the submission of fraudulent professional indemnity insurance (PII) certificates and the inappropriate prescription of hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
Fraudulent Insurance Claims
The inquiry revealed that Dr. Al-Maliky allegedly submitted false certificates of PII to his employers, Locomotion Limited and Centric Health Ireland, over a ten-year period, from February 14, 2014, to June 14, 2024. He also allegedly operated without appropriate PII between January 2015 and July 2017 while working at eight Centric Health practices in County Dublin, and again between July 2021 and March 2023 at ten Centric Health practices in County Dublin and one in Bray, County Wicklow. Irish Times, Roscommon Herald
The committee found that Dr. Al-Maliky knowingly provided certificates from the Medical Protection Society that were false and misleading. Paul Harkin, the chairperson of the inquiry, stated that submitting such documents was dishonest. Roscommon Herald
Inappropriate HRT Prescription
In addition to the insurance fraud allegations, Dr. Al-Maliky was found guilty of poor professional performance for prescribing oestrogen to five patients at the Centric Health clinic in Donaghmede, Dublin, without also prescribing progesterone. Roscommon Herald, Irish Medical Times
Prescribing oestrogen without progesterone can thicken the uterine lining, potentially increasing the risk of cancer. Fortunately, all five patients were identified, and no physical harm resulted from the omission of progesterone. Roscommon Herald
Ill Health and Absence from Hearings
Dr. Al-Maliky did not attend any of the three-day inquiry hearings. His counsel, Ray Motherway BL, informed the committee in February that the doctor was absent due to ill health and was receiving treatment in the United Kingdom. Roscommon Herald
Next Steps
The Medical Council committee will forward its report to the Medical Council, but the recommended sanction for Dr. Al-Maliky has not yet been disclosed. Roscommon Herald