Enable Law Head of Abuse Gary Walker says it is “shocking and deeply upsetting” for the victims of disgraced former Cornwall doctor Iuliu Stan to learn he is still practicing in his native Romania.
Following international investigations by The Times and its reporting partners, Gary is also demanding stronger cross-border collaboration after it was revealed doctors are overcoming professional bans to treat NHS patients.
The Times has played a key role in identifying 59 doctors and dentists who have been struck off by the General Medical Council (GMC) but continued to hold licences overseas after their removal from the UK register.
The newspaper has discovered that even though Stan had been banned from practising in Britain after sexually abusing dozens of men and boys, the 43-year-old has been left free to practise in his home country.
He has been licensed in Romania, despite its regulator being warned of his offending by the GMC. He now has a licence as a trauma and orthopaedics specialist and practises at a hospital in Cluj-Napoca.
Dr Stan was a junior doctor in trauma and orthopaedics in Cornwall between 2015 and 2020 and Enable Law is representing 40 of his victims.
He was struck off the medical register after it was found he subjected patients to unnecessary, invasive and intimate procedures, including the administration of rectal medication for his own sexual gratification.
Gary told The Times: “It is shocking and deeply upsetting for those affected by his actions, to learn that he is allowed to treat patients in Romania and deeply worrying that those patients in Romania are now at risk.”
Following the publication of the reports, Gary added: “After everything that has happened these revelations are disturbing and deeply concerning for those affected by Stan’s actions.
“It is quite simply shocking for my clients to learn that Stan is being allowed to continue practising medicine in Romania and the regulators do not appear concerned about the sanctions and criminal investigation in UK.
“Questions will also be raised as to why Romanian authorities were not notified until March 2024 even though the GMC investigation started in March 2021 and Medical Practitioners’ Tribunal Service published their findings in February 2024.
“There are concerns about the delays in the investigation during which time Stan has been allowed to move around and continue to work as a doctor. Even if the Romanian regulators had taken action, then it would not have been until three years after he had been investigated and lost his job.”
The cross-border investigation co-led by The Times, the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and Norwegian newspaper VG collated doctor misconduct data from across the world for the first time.
Gary said there should be an “urgent review” of international systems through which medical regulators share information on disciplinary action and criminal sanctions. He is calling on the GMC to take action as the investigations revealed doctors banned from practising abroad were able to treat NHS patients.
He also told The Times investigations reporter George Greenwood that the GMC must review information-sharing arrangements as it emerged 22 professionals subject to restrictions overseas have no record of sanctions on GMC licences.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has vowed to act, after describing the findings as “horrific” and “a serious failure in our medical regulatory systems that I will not tolerate”.
Gary said: “Patients in the UK deserve and need to be able to trust that there are robust systems to ensure any doctor working in the UK is not subject to any restrictions or relevant criminal sanctions in another country.
How we can help you
If you or a family member have been affected by what happened a member of our specialist Abuse team will be able to help you. We are already representing over 40 people seeking answers and compensation for what was done. All discussions are free of charge and completely confidential. To speak to Gary Walker and his team contact us on 0800 044 8488 or fill in the form so we can call you back at a time convenient for you.
