Psychiatrist suspended for faking medical certificate to let son get out of contract

A psychiatrist forged a medical certificate for his own son to help him get out of a contract. He did so using a colleague’s name, without that colleague’s knowledge. The healthcare disciplinary board has suspended the man for one year, nine months of which are conditional.

It is not known at which institution the man worked. His son had signed a contract somewhere and feared he would face high costs. In 2022, the psychiatrist asked a colleague to issue a medical certificate without speaking to his son. The colleague refused.

Initially, the matter ended there, but in August 2024, the psychiatrist took matters into his own hands. He drafted the medical certificate himself, falsely claiming that his son suffered from depression, had undergone electroconvulsive therapy, and had been admitted to a psychiatric clinic. He used his employer’s letterhead and signed the document with his colleague’s name and signature.

A few days later, he emailed his colleague. “I have been a bit naughty without informing you,” he wrote. If the organization were to get in touch with the colleague, he was told to “give positive answers, considering it is regarding a difference of 10,000 euros.” The colleague was not pleased with this and warned the employer. They then suspended the psychiatrist and took the case to the disciplinary board.

The disciplinary judges called his conduct “unprofessional, undesirable, and transgressive,” as he committed forgery. They pointed out that he was not only a psychiatrist but also the medical director of the institution.

There was “no equality” between his position and that of the colleague who would have had to lie on his behalf.