A Medical Council fitness-to-practise inquiry has heard allegations that a doctor practised without adequate professional insurance for ten years and also incorrectly prescribed hormone replacement therapy to five patients.
Dr Chasib Al-Maliky, with an address in Artane, Dublin, is alleged between February 14th, 2014 to June 14th, 2024 to have submitted fraudulent certificates of professional indemnity insurance (PII) to his employers during that time, who were Locomotion Limited and Centric Health Ireland.
Al-Maliky secured a permanent contract with Centric Health Ireland in April 2023.
It was further alleged Al-Maliky did not have appropriate PII between January 2015 and July 2017 while working at eight Centric Health practices in Co Dublin.
READ MORE
It was also alleged Al-Maliky did not have appropriate PII between July 2021 and March 2023 while working at 10 Centric Health practices in Co Dublin and one practice in Bray, Co Wicklow.
It was also alleged Al-Maliky, in the context of his annual retention forms (ARFs) with the Medical Council for June 2022 to May 2023 and for June 2023 to May 2024, submitted certificates of PII that were false and contrary to his declarations on the forms.
The council’s chief executive is alleging the conduct regarding the fraudulent submission of certificates of insurance and the carrying out of medicine without adequate insurance amounts to professional misconduct.
It is also alleged that Al-Maliky while working at Centric Health, Donaghmede Medical Centre, prescribed oestrogen without adding progesterone for five patients between April and July 2023, which the chief executive is alleging amounts to poor professional performance.
Taking oestrogen without progesterone can thicken the uterus lining, which can increase the risk of cancer.
The inquiry heard evidence on Thursday from Ann Curran, head of registration support services with the Medical Council, that in 2018 the council received correspondence from the National Treasury Management Agency regarding Al-Maliky’s PII as he was working for the prison service at that time.
Curran also said that in the subsequent years up to 2022 Al-Maliky was covered by a State indemnity as he indicated that he was working in a Health Service Executive setting during that time.
However, if a doctor working for a State body is also working in a private setting they are also required to have their own PII for the latter work, the inquiry heard.
Rachel Lynch, business lead for the Medical Protection Society (MPS), gave evidence that Al-Maliky had not been insured with the organisation since 2012 and that there were significant differences between a valid insurance certificate issued by the MPS compared with those submitted by the registrant.
Lorraine Inglis, human resources director with Centric Health Ireland, told the committee that, following an audit, issues with Al-Maliky’s certificates of insurance with the MPS had come to light.
She said that at a meeting she had in June 2023 with Dr Ray Power, then medical director, and Al-Maliky regarding his 2022 and 2023 certificates of insurance, the registrant was “very truthful” where he said that he downloaded the certs from the internet, that he was under financial pressure, that he was sending all his money home to his family, that he was living in one room in Baldoyle and that because of his dyslexia he had difficulty in filling out the Medical Council ARFs online.
Al-Maliky was told by Inglis at the meeting that he had jeopardised the business, his patients and the practice and that there was no other option but to terminate his contract.
The committee will reconvene on Friday to hear further evidence from the chief executive.
