Woman in Sydney pretended to be a doctor and worked at hospital during pandemic for eight months
The woman had faked her documents to get a job at the hospital and was under full supervision throughout
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.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.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments