Meppen: 21-year-old is said to have gotten a job as a doctor in a clinic

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Hospital (symbolic image): A young woman apparently got a job as a doctor in Lower Saxony

Photo: Friso Gentsch / dpa

A 21-year-old is said to have gotten a job as an assistant doctor in a hospital in Meppen with forged documents.

As reported by the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung" (NOZ), the alleged fraudster had previously worked in a clinic in Cuxhaven.

The young woman's application documents show that the social authorities in Hamburg issued her license to practice medicine.

"We have reason to assume that the certificate is forged," said the Hamburg social authority at the request of the dpa news agency on Friday evening.

A criminal complaint was filed with the competent public prosecutor's office.

The woman was deployed in surgery

According to the NOZ, the clinic in Emsland fired the alleged doctor without notice after the allegation of fraud became known.

According to the report, she worked there as a resident from September 16 to October 27.

The young woman was used in surgery, but did not act independently with patients, the administrative director of the clinic told the newspaper.

No patient was harmed in Meppen.

The 21-year-old denies the allegation of forgery.

According to the hospital, the alleged doctor claimed that she went to school in the USA, skipped classes and also studied there.

Medical studies in Germany last at least six years.

The social authority in Hamburg announced that she had been aware of the process since Wednesday afternoon.

According to the authorities, measures have been taken to exclude the risk to patients.

The current and a previous employer were informed of the suspicion of counterfeiting.

The Lower Saxony Medical Association and the Lower Saxony licensing authority were also informed.

In addition, the allegedly forged license to practice medicine was uploaded to the European Commission's internal market information system in order to warn other bodies.

In the past, cases have repeatedly come to light in which imposters pretended to be doctors.

At the end of May this year, a 51-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment by the district court in Kassel.

The woman had obtained a job as an anesthesiologist with a forged license and caused the deaths of several patients.

nis/dpa