By Chinasaokwu Helen Okoro
The head of Liberia’s doctors’ association, Dr. Peter Matthew George, has been banned from practicing medicine after the country’s medical regulator found no evidence of his initial medical degree.
The Liberia Medical and Dental Council (LMDC) initiated a qualifications audit and requested Dr. George submit proof of his credentials. In April, the LMDC revoked his medical license, stating he had failed to provide satisfactory evidence of graduating in medicine from the University of Hertfordshire in the UK—an institution he reportedly cited as his alma mater.
Dr. George disputes the LMDC’s findings. Speaking to the BBC, he claimed the decision was driven by bias due to his vocal advocacy in an ongoing dispute between doctors and the government.
In its decision letter, the LMDC noted that instead of providing a degree certificate, Dr. George submitted an “award verification letter” indicating he had received an “MD.” The council emphasized that the MD (Doctor of Medicine) is a U.S.-based qualification, not typically issued by UK universities.
More significantly, the LMDC stated that the University of Hertfordshire does not offer a medical degree. The university confirmed to the BBC that, after a comprehensive review of its records, there was no evidence Dr. George had studied or received any degree from the institution. “Any claim to the contrary is false and constitutes a misrepresentation of our institution,” the university said in a statement, adding that it is cooperating with Liberian authorities.
On his now-deactivated LinkedIn profile, Dr. George listed a “professional doctorate in medicine (MD), general medicine” at Hertfordshire from 2010 to 2014. However, in an email to the BBC, he denied ever claiming the British university as the source of his primary medical degree, calling the allegations “make-up stories.” He later clarified that his initial qualification was from the University of Central Nicaragua and attributed the confusion to a possible error made under pressure.
Dr. George said he began practicing medicine in Liberia in 2014 and had submitted his credentials at that time without issue. He claimed to have received praise for his service, especially for improvements made at the Chief Jallah Lone Government Hospital in Gbarpolu County. “I have served the Liberian health sector diligently for over a decade with no record of misconduct,” he said.
He alleged that scrutiny of his qualifications began after his election as president of the Liberia Medical and Dental Association (LMDA) in December. He believes his push for better rights and working conditions for doctors and dentists led to increased hostility.
The revocation of his license became public recently after the LMDC disclosed that Dr. George had been given 15 working days to respond to the findings, but failed to do so. In the wake of the controversy, the LMDA announced it had “nullified” his presidency and confirmed that he is no longer a member of the association.
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