Fake CV doctor struck off after NHS hospital job
It was "fortuitous" that no haematology patients were harmed, a medical tribunal hears.
Fake CV doctor struck off after NHS hospital job
Dr Akah joined Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in 2024
A doctor who worked for an NHS hospital trust after making a "wholesale fabrication" of his CV has been struck off.
Dr Tochukwu Akah admitted to more than 20 false claims, including saying he had served as a chief medical officer in Nigeria, the Medical Practitioners Tribunals Service (MPTS) said.
The panel heard it was "fortuitous" that no patients at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust were harmed.
The trust, which hired him as a clinical fellow in haematology [blood physiology], has been contacted for comment.
According to the MPTS, Akah stated on his application form that he had received awards for "best student in internal medicine" and "distinction in pathology" at a Nigerian university.
He also claimed he had worked as "Chief Medical Officer in the emergency department" in Nigeria and had published research on sickle cell disease.
The doctor further said he had independently performed stem cell transplants, bone marrow biopsies and blood transfusions.
But the tribunal said none of those claims were true.
The panel heard that Akah failed a course with the UK Resuscitation Council, which judged him unfit to practice.
Barrister Jade Bucklow told the hearing: "It is simply fortuitous that we do not have a case of patient harm within this allegation."
She said Akah was not currently working in the UK or for an NHS trust.
The tribunal concluded: "This was a wholesale fabrication of awards, publications, presentations, and experience, designed to meet the criteria for job selection on a fictitious basis."
It said patients had been exposed to "significant risk", although there was no evidence that any were actually harmed.
The panel removed Akah from the medical register with immediate effect.
The NHS trust, where he worked from September 2024, has main hospitals in Basingstoke and Winchester.
The tribunal heard that Akah was dismissed from his role after hospital colleagues raised concerns about him.
The trust then reported him to the General Medical Council in May 2025, which led to the MPTS hearing.