Panel suggests enhanced process to crack down on fake medical reports

AMMAN — An official committee aiming to prevent the use of fabricated medical reports in trials and enhance the rule of law in this area recommends that doctors use a unified and more detailed report form.

The proposed form will spare judges the confusion that occurs when the doctor’s report is based solely on the claims of the patient, said Amman Prosecutor General and committee member Abdullah Abul Ghanam.

Speaking at a meeting with the press on Tuesday marking the end of the committee’s four-month-long deliberations, Abul Ghanam added that the suggested form requires doctors to fill in separate information on the claims of the patient, a physical examination and obligatory medical tests.

Fake or inaccurate medical reports concern legal authorities because perpetrators of quarrels or car accidents could gain equality with victims before the law if they obtain medical reports stating they were injured or hit. 

Abul Ghanam said the committee suggested intensifying the penalty on those who issue and use fabricated medical reports, noting that the current “non-deterrent” penalty involves only a fine, while the suggested amendment increases this to a one- to two- year prison sentence.

Amman Public Attorney Ziad Dmour agreed, adding that the suggested unified report would “regulate” the process, as private and public medical facilities have different procedures for issuing medical reports.

Furthermore, he proposed carrying out awareness campaigns targeting emergency room doctors, forensic doctors and judges in order to acquaint them with the details of the issue.

When a complaint reaches the police station, Public Security Department personnel will work on “extending” the investigation process for medical reports they suspect to be untrue, with the assistance of forensic doctors, according to PSD representative at the committee Sari Khashashneh.

Meanwhile, the strict measures do not seek to hinder doctors from performing their jobs, said Radwan Abu Dames, a legal consultant at the Ministry of Health and another member of the committee.

Justice Minister Bassam Talhouni, who heads the panel, said the work of the committee seeks to handle this newly emerging phenomenon, through which a few think they can manipulate the law. 

Talhouni also highlighted a need to include an article in the Penal Code to punish doctors who issue fake medical reports “with bad intentions”, especially if such reports harm other parties. 

The committee of experts also recommended amending the Ministry of Health’s by-law on medical reports to incorporate further details on the suggested report form and penalties for violations.

The committee consisted of senior representatives of judicial bodies, as well as representatives of the Civil Defence Department and the Ministry of Health, in addition to forensic medicine experts.