– My first thought was «how is this possible», says Ragnhild Bø Raugland. The senior lawyer in the Norwegian Bar Association is shaken by the case with “Flekkefjord doctor” Jerlan Omarchanov. For a number of years, he has performed orthopedic procedures on Norwegian patients without being an orthopedist. The Kazakh doctor was authorized as a doctor in Norway, but lacked the six-year specialist training as an orthopedist. – It went cold down my back when I heard about the case. And the fact that the hospital knew that he lacked the specialist education makes the case even more serious, says Raugland. Senior lawyer at the Norwegian Bar Association, Ragnhild Bø Raugland, believes that employers in the health sector have a special responsibility to do a thorough background check when hiring. Photo: Juristforbundet – Do not know what has happened Omarchanov was employed as a substitute at Hammerfest hospital for five weeks in 2016 and 2017. Here he worked as chief physician in the orthopedic department, where he performed advanced procedures, such as transplants and insertion of prostheses. In Hammerfest, no evidence has been found that the doctor has performed any incorrect operations, according to the hospital. news has asked the hospital for access to the doctor’s employment documents. The contract states that Omarchanov will be employed as chief physician at the orthopedic department. However, there is no evidence that he is an orthopedist. His CV states that he has worked as a surgeon for many years. It does not say anything about him having a specialist education as an orthopedist. – I do not know what happened, but I can speculate that someone was needed at short notice. And then one might have trusted that since he worked in Flekkefjord, he had the papers in order, says Kenneth Grav, human resources manager at Hammerfest hospital. Personnel manager Kenneth Grav at Finnmark Hospital has no good explanation for what happened during the employment of the controversial doctor. Photo: Allan Klo / news – news has found out that the management of Sørlandet hospital knew that he was not an orthopedist, but still let him work like this. Did Hammerfest Hospital know he was not an orthopedist? – As I said earlier, we have little documentation in the case, apart from the employment contract. So we have no knowledge of this, says Grav. news has tried to get in touch with the doctor who employed Omarchanov at Hammerfest hospital. We have not succeeded in that. Duties to check Raugland believes the case in Hammerfest emphasizes the importance of each individual hospital doing its own background check. She is concerned that employment that is supposed to safeguard life and health may actually occur without anyone having checked their qualifications. Or worse: that you can work without having the right papers. – I can understand that it can happen in a hectic everyday life where you are understaffed by professionals. But: – The more important the core of the position is, and especially when it comes to life and health, the greater the responsibility rests with the hiring manager. You actually have a duty as an employer to check up on references, says Raugland. – Are the hospitals allowed to hire someone to perform certain operations, even if they lack papers on this? – I do not know if it is written somewhere that it is not legal, but it probably follows from an unwritten practice that if a certain competence is required, then it must be there, says Raugland. – Is this to lead the patients behind the light from the hospital’s side? – It is to go far beyond what they should do, I do not understand how it goes, simply. Per Engstrand was director of Sørlandet Hospital, which consists of Kristiansand, Arendal and Flekkefjord, when Omarchanov worked at Flekkefjord Hospital. In an interview with news in 2020, he answered the following when news asked why he had the doctor operate without having the papers in order: «I now work for Helse Sør-Øst and do not find it natural to answer the two questions news has sent. » – Satisfied with efficiency Today, Omarchanov has been deprived of his license as a result of the many supervisory cases against him. He has moved to Germany, where he now continues to operate. He has not been possible for journalists in news to speak. In a reply to the Norwegian Board of Health, Omarchanov said that the management in Flekkefjord was very pleased with the efficiency he showed. The hospital has been threatened with closure, and the fact that Omarchanov helped keep the patient flow up has been applauded. Hammerfest Hospital has long struggled to get professionals to work at the hospital. Last year, Helse Nord spent 415 million on temporary staff. Personnel Manager Grav, who has taken up his position after Omarchanov was hired, says that the employment in Hammerfest was carried out by a doctor who no longer works at the hospital. – This is too fragile. There should be more people involved in a hiring process. The norm is usually both HR manager and shop steward, says lawyer Ragnhild Bø Raugland. Warns against being deceived Torben Wisborg is a shop steward for the chief physicians at Hammerfest Hospital. He took up this post after the appointment of Omarchanov. He says that on a general basis, shop stewards participate in interviews to ensure the applicant’s interests. – The employer reads the application, checks references and chooses among the applicants. The shop steward does not participate in the nomination for employment, says Wisborg. – In the case of Omarchanov, was the shop steward involved then? – I do not know, says Wisborg. Torben Wisborg is a shop steward for the chief physicians at Hammerfest Hospital. He says that shop stewards are normally interviewed in an employment process. Photo: news According to Grav’s HR manager, the systems for hiring should be far better today than they were when Omarchanov was hired as a substitute. And it will get better, according to Grav. He points out that the systems today are more automated and not based on human assessments to the same extent as before. – In the future, it will not be possible to enter through the door or log in on a machine without you having the necessary approvals, says the human resources manager. Warns against CV tricks Raugland in the Norwegian Bar Association warns employers to take employment lightly. Nor is a full CV something you can easily take for a good fish. – You can not see from a CV if it is a trick. So you have to do research, says Raugland. She has no doubt that it is possible to keep the surroundings for a long time without being revealed. – If you are rude enough, you can just continue as you wish, the lawyer says.
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Lawyer reacts to employment – Hammerfest hospital assumed that “Flekkefjord doctor” was an orthopedist – news Troms and Finnmark
