Mar 23, 2006
Phnom Penh - An Australian woman who set up a popular medical clinic in Phnom Penh that was widely used by tourists was facing hefty fines and a potential jail sentence after being accused of falsely claiming to be a highly qualified medical expert, Cambodian authorities said Thursday.
The Health Ministry's deputy director general for health, Chi Mean Hea, said Gloria A. Christie, 50, also known as 'Doctor Gloria,' faced a court hearing after authorities inspected her Surya Clinic and found that she held only an expired license issued four years ago in the name of a Cambodian doctor whose whereabouts she could not identify.
The popular clinic had offered services that included minor surgery, a pharmacy, an ambulance service and in-patient facilities. It was closed by authorities on Tuesday and ordered not to reopen.
A ministry official said Thursday morning that Christie had not yet been able to provide evidence of any medical training or certificates although she had told him she was still looking.
The Surya Clinic advertised widely in tourist-oriented publications as a clinic with 'international standards' and was also used by expatriates and Cambodian nationals.
'To operate like this ... is against Cambodian law,' Chi Mean Hea said. 'The law is very explicit on this point, so we must act. We will meet with our lawyers and health committees on Friday to decide exactly what action we will take, but to avoid any accusations of corruption, the ministry must be firm. She should go to court.'
Christie was inspected by Health Ministry authorities after a tip-off from a journalist who investigated the clinic after she said her daughter was grossly misdiagnosed by both Christie and another Australian working at the clinic, Jeff Gaden.
Late last year, Prime Minister Hun Sen gave a speech urging the ministry to act to crack down on fraudulent foreign doctors, whom he said came to Cambodia to practise medicine without adequate qualifications because they believed they could do so with impunity.
If convicted, Christie faces thousands of dollars in fines and a potential jail term if inspections of her cases by ministry officials turn up evidence that her treatment of any patients led to their harm or death.
The Australian embassy had previously said it was unable to act in the case even though Christie is an Australian citizen because she was operating under Cambodian law.
The Health Ministry's deputy director general for health, Chi Mean Hea, said Gloria A. Christie, 50, also known as 'Doctor Gloria,' faced a court hearing after authorities inspected her Surya Clinic and found that she held only an expired license issued four years ago in the name of a Cambodian doctor whose whereabouts she could not identify.
The popular clinic had offered services that included minor surgery, a pharmacy, an ambulance service and in-patient facilities. It was closed by authorities on Tuesday and ordered not to reopen.
A ministry official said Thursday morning that Christie had not yet been able to provide evidence of any medical training or certificates although she had told him she was still looking.
The Surya Clinic advertised widely in tourist-oriented publications as a clinic with 'international standards' and was also used by expatriates and Cambodian nationals.
'To operate like this ... is against Cambodian law,' Chi Mean Hea said. 'The law is very explicit on this point, so we must act. We will meet with our lawyers and health committees on Friday to decide exactly what action we will take, but to avoid any accusations of corruption, the ministry must be firm. She should go to court.'
Christie was inspected by Health Ministry authorities after a tip-off from a journalist who investigated the clinic after she said her daughter was grossly misdiagnosed by both Christie and another Australian working at the clinic, Jeff Gaden.
Late last year, Prime Minister Hun Sen gave a speech urging the ministry to act to crack down on fraudulent foreign doctors, whom he said came to Cambodia to practise medicine without adequate qualifications because they believed they could do so with impunity.
If convicted, Christie faces thousands of dollars in fines and a potential jail term if inspections of her cases by ministry officials turn up evidence that her treatment of any patients led to their harm or death.
The Australian embassy had previously said it was unable to act in the case even though Christie is an Australian citizen because she was operating under Cambodian law.
1 comment:
I have been treated by Dr Gloria on several occasions and found her to be an excellent doctor and a gold mine of medical information. I hope that this is an admin error and will be resolved.
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