Man, 35, convicted for using fake healthcare diploma to work as caregiver

A 35-year-old man from Renswoude received a sentence of 240 hours of community service and a four-month suspended prison term from the Arnhem police court on Thursday. The court found him guilty providing a falsified healthcare diploma to a staffing agency in 2018, which allowed him to work for several years as a freelance caregiver. Several other individuals accused of similar fraud also appeared in the Arnhem court on Thursday.

In June, the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ), along with the police and the Labor Inspectorate, revealed that hundreds of individuals had been employed in healthcare for years without proper qualifications or a certificate of conduct (VOG) certificate. The authorities warned that this posed “a serious threat to the quality and safety of care.”

Hicham E.’s résumé falsely claimed that he had completed a vocational program in social-pedagogical work. Based on this, he spent several years working at Heeren Loo, caring for people with multiple disabilities and in an intensive care unit. He was responsible for administering medication and determining if a patient needed to be restrained, duties he admitted were “positions of responsibility.”

The case began after the care institution filed a report. The Public Prosecution Service stated that E. “compromised the safety and well-being of extremely vulnerable people.” Consequently, the prosecution recommended a six-month prison term, two months of which would be suspended.

“I worked without a diploma, and that was foolish of me,” E. admitted. He denied forging the document, saying, “I didn’t create anything myself; I didn’t submit it, it was handled by the healthcare agency.”

In 2022, the suspect finally earned a diploma and currently works as a personal caregiver in the healthcare sector. He is concerned that a conviction might result in losing his VOG, which is essential for his employment.

Another suspect, 37-year-old Mohamed K., was accused of working for three and a half years with a falsified diploma, but the court found no evidence and acquitted him.

A third defendant was sentenced to 180 hours of community service. The 32-year-old man admitted in a letter to the court that he had forged a diploma after losing his business during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over two years, he worked at five healthcare institutions and now says he feels deep remorse. He has since obtained a diploma, continues to work in healthcare, and intends to pursue further studies.

The final defendant was sentenced to 180 hours of community service along with a two-month suspended prison term. He had worked for two and a half years using a falsified healthcare diploma. The 24-year-old Miloud T. now works full-time in the automotive sector.