Tyrone Reid, Enterprise Reporter
Dr. Trevor McCartney
In the latest attempt to stamp out the practice of unregistered persons performing as medical practitioners, the Medical Council of Jamaica has published the names of two persons - Francisco Silva Torres and Leslie Baxter - who are not licensed to practise medicine.
Notices in today's Gleaner advise the general public that each person named "is not registered with the Medical Council of Jamaica and is, therefore, not licensed to practise medicine."
The warnings by the Medical Council come on the heels of Gleaner investigations that have uncovered a medical office in St. Catherine, where a woman has been performing as a doctor, alongside registered medical practitioners she is not registered.
In a letter that was dispatched to its registered doctors last November, the Medical Council of Jamaica pointed out that it had received information "that some doctors have been employing/working with persons who are not registered under the Medical Act".
"You will, therefore, realise that any doctor found guilty of the above would likely have his/her registration suspended or his/her name removed from the register," read a section of the letter written by Dr. Muriel Lowe, the council's registrar.
Dr. Trevor McCartney, chairman of the Medical Council of Jamaica, told The Gleaner that attempts have been made to expunge the illegitimate activity. "We have issued a release to all doctors (and) we have sent out a notice in the paper which indicate clearly that we are aware that there may be persons practising who are not legally registered," he said.
While not impossible, Dr. Lowe said that a doctor whose name has been expunged from the council's register will find it rather difficult to be reinstated. But, reinstatements have happened in the past.
Posed for check-up
This Gleaner reporter recently visited a doctor's private practice in St. Catherine and posed as a patient. On reaching the doctor's office, this reporter asked if there was a female doctor on staff and when told yes by the receptionist, indicated that he would prefer to be seen by a female doctor for a routine check-up.
The female proceeded to do the usual checks, such as pulse and blood pressure. The Gleaner reporter was then told to remove his shirt and she used a stethoscope to listen to his heart and lungs. She also performed a percussion of The Gleaner reporter's torso by striking it in different places. In addition to that, she checked if the Gleaner reporter's symptoms of eczema had resurfaced. During a conversation that ensued she identified herself as a doctor.
Our subsequent investigations from other sources revealed that she was a recent graduate of a medical school and is yet to complete her internship.
While conversing with the young woman conducting the examination who, by the way, was very gracious, she revealed that her father, who operates the practice, was away on vacation. She also said that the doctor in the other room, who was seeing the other patients, was her brother.
After the medical examination was completed, The Gleaner reporter returned to the waiting area and awaited a prescription to remedy a toe condition. When the prescription was received and subsequently examined it was noted that it was signed by the young woman's brother - the doctor in the other room - who is a registered doctor.
Dr. Lowe confirmed that the young woman who examined this reporter was not registered when she conducted the examination. Dr. Lowe told our news team that the young woman went in on Monday January 7, 2007, for her provisional registration.
"(She) is not a fully registered medical practitioner. She is only qualified to work as an intern in a (public) hospital under supervision," Dr. Lowe said.
At the same time, Dr. Rosemarie Wright-Pascoe, president of the Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ) told The Gleaner that the professional body is "very concerned" with what has been happening in the profession. Dr. Wright-Pascoe also revealed that about six persons are currently being investigated by the Council.
"Disastrous consequences may arise if a person goes to a person masquerading as a doctor and given a bogus prescription which of course could hurt or damage that person," she explained.
She, explained that while the MAJ cannot take legal action against the doctors, as that is the Council's job, the professional body is on a media blitz to sensitise members of the public and the profession.
Additionally, Dr. Wright-Pascoe said that medical practitioners have a responsibility to verify with the Council if the person they plan to hire is licensed to practice. And, she also said that the onus is on the members of the public to ensure that the person examining them is a bonafide, registered doctor and not an impostor. How? "All medical practitioners (in private practice) should have on their walls a practising certificate, (which) also states that that individual is registered as a medical practitioner," she explained.
