Bogus doctor found treating patients in Ireland following Medical Council investigation

The issue, which emerged from the Medical Council's annual report, ­concerned a person who was not a medical practitioner pretending to be a doctor and treating patients.

A number of medics who were not registered to work here were also uncovered.

The report said that 32 investigations were carried out by the council and it helped gardaí with six separate criminal investigations.

The Medical Council has the power to investigate the case of any individual who is not a registered medical practitioner and who is practising or has practised medicine, the report said.

It showed that 22 doctors were ­sanctioned last year, including four who were struck off.

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The 353 complaints received last year were the highest number in five years.

Of these, 61 were referred to the Medical Council's fitness-to-practise committee.

Two hundred-and-seventy-three complaints came from members of the public, 32 originated from the Medical Council and 29 complaints came from healthcare professionals. The biggest number of complaints related to communication with others, including diagnosis and clinical investigation.

President of the Medical Council, Dr Suzanne Crowe said: "Although the number of doctors registering reached an all-time high in 2023, we are acutely aware of the shortages of doctors in Ireland, particularly in rural parts of the country."

In June, 25,474 doctors on the Medical Council register were invited to renew their registration, of which 24,794 (97.3pc) chose to do so.

The gender breakdown of clinically active doctors in Ireland is 10,251 (53pc) men and 9,077 (47pc) women.

There were more women than men among younger doctors under the age of 35. There were 29,488 doctors, including interns, on the Medical Council register at the end of last year – up from 27,520 in 2022.

Dr Crowe said that last year, "the Medical Council received the highest number of complaints in five years, as well as experiencing increased complexity in the concerns or complaints we receive".

"The medical profession is a highly mobile, global workforce. Ireland continued to rely heavily on international medical graduates in 2023," Dr Crowe said.