Dr. Jalal Baghaee has licence revoked for lying on application

A Nova Scotia doctor has had his licence revoked because he lied on his application.

Dr. Jalal Baghaee has practiced family medicine in Parrsboro since 2012. He was granted a Nova Scotia licence under the Clinician Assessment for Practice Program (CAPP), which is designed to prepare internationally-trained doctors to work in under-served areas of Nova Scotia.

Baghaee got in trouble because he lied on his CAPP application. He told the Nova ScotiaCollege of Physicians and Surgeons, which administers the program, that he was trained to practice family medicine.

However, Baghaee deliberately failed to tell the college that he spent the time from 1996 to 2000 training in pediatric medicine and that was his principle area of practice from 2000 to 2007.

Baghaee told the College that he was afraid if Nova Scotia authorities knew he was trained as a pediatric specialist, he'd be rejected for CAPP.

Baghaee and his wife moved to Canada in 2007. He told the college that after three years in Canada, their financial situation was extremely difficult.

Baghaee said he was warned by other internationally-trained doctors that Nova Scotia was only interested in family doctors, not specialists.

While there were no concerns about Baghaee's competence, the college was worried about what the lies said about his character.

"In the view of the committee,this matter threatened the integrity of the medical profession,"the college decision states.

"It raises questions of fairness and justice.

"The harm lies in the loss of public confidence in the event the College tolerates the subversion of its licencing processes without strong denunciation."

Baghaee will be able to apply for a new medical licence after waiting a minimum of three months.