Dubai: A hair transplant doctor and two nurses have been accused of practising medicine without a licence in a private clinic in Dubai following a random visit by a health inspector.
The Turkish doctor and a compatriot male and a compatriot female nurse arrived in Dubai on visit visas the day before the health inspector visited the clinic and allegedly found them practising medicine without obtaining proper licences from the local and authorities concerned in July.
The health inspector reported the matter to law enforcement officers, who instantly referred the matter to the Dubai Public Prosecution.
Prosecutors charged the Turkish trio with practising medicine without the necessary licences and working while on visit visas.
The three suspects pleaded not guilty when they appeared before the Dubai Misdemeanours Court.
The doctor argued before the presiding judge that he is a licensed and registered practitioner, who is specialised in hair transplantation, in his country and contended that he didn’t practise medicine without a licence in Dubai.
The nurses also entered a similar plea and argued that they did not have any criminal intention.
Their lawyer, Dr Sultan Al Muazzin, argued in court that law enforcement procedures were carried out unlawfully and improperly against his clients.
“My clients flew in to Dubai on July 26 and they had come here on a trial period at the clinic in Mirdif. They visited the clinic on July 27, just one day after their arrival ... the health inspector walked into the clinic for a brief visit of five minutes before the inspector decided that my clients were practising medicine without being licensed to do so. The inspector claimed that the doctor was transplanting hair. In five minutes! That’s impossible, Your Honour ... the operation to plant hair requires five to eight hours. My client was being tested and he was not operating or practising medicine ... the suspected nurses as well. They had come here for the purpose of being tried and explore the probability of being hired,” Dr Al Muazzin contended.
Requesting permission to address the court, the charged doctor argued before the judge that he is a well-known practitioner in Turkey and that he did not breach the laws or practise medicine in Dubai.
“My clients have spent nearly three months in Dubai because of this case and they did not have any criminal intention. They didn’t commit what they have been unfoundedly accused of … they are not guilty. The defence asks the court to speed-track the litigation process so they could return to their country and carry on with their lives,” concluded Dr Al Muazzin.
A ruling will be heard on October 16.
