Wes Streeting described the findings as “horrific” and a “serious failure in our medical regulatory systems”, promising that such lapses “will not be tolerated”.
The investigation identified 22 doctors with disciplinary records overseas who were nevertheless granted UK medical licences by the General Medical Council (GMC). Some had been struck off for sexual misconduct, misdiagnosis, or harassment, yet their records did not appear on their GMC registration.
Cases of concern
Among them was psychiatrist Dr Sujan Thyagaraj, who lost his US licence in 2019 after having sex with a patient and later fled the country. Despite the suspension appearing on public records, he successfully obtained a GMC licence in January and was hired by Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust.
Another case involved Dr Sattar Kadhem, a radiologist struck off in Sweden and Norway for repeated diagnostic errors. He was still employed by a UK firm treating NHS patients until being suspended and later dismissed following the Times inquiry.
Other examples included doctors accused of sexual harassment in Canada, banned for assault in the US, or facing stalking charges abroad, yet still cleared to work in the UK.
One case, psychiatrist Dr Ajit Pothen, proved fatal: he discharged a Nottingham patient who later died, despite having been suspended in the Netherlands for serious errors. Though struck off in Britain in 2021, he has since resumed practice in Germany.
Regulatory gaps
The cross-border investigation, carried out by The Times, OCCRP and Norwegian newspaper VG, compared international disciplinary records with GMC registration. Reporters found that many misconduct findings were publicly available online or could have been obtained through overseas regulators yet had not been acted upon.
Lawyers and patient safety groups warned the failures showed “the system isn’t working”. Gary Walker, partner at Enable Law, said: “Patients in the UK deserve and need to trust that robust checks are in place. Anything less puts lives at risk.”
Paul Whiteing, chief executive of Action Against Medical Accidents, added: “It is deeply worrying that doctors are able to move between countries to evade detection. The system must be fool-proof.”
Government response
Streeting has ordered the GMC to explain its vetting procedures and asked NHS England to confirm the status of the doctors identified. “Patient safety is my priority,” he said. “No doctor with serious misconduct findings should be able to slip through the cracks.”
A GMC spokeswoman said it took its role “extremely seriously” and would review each case to decide what action was necessary.
