The behaviour of a doctor who sought to register with the Irish Medical Council as a specialist cardiologist using fake diplomas was “disgraceful and dishonourable”, a fitness-to-practise hearing has found.
The hearing heard that had Dr Amir Taherzadeh been successful in his attempt to be recognised as a specialist cardiologist, there was “a very high likelihood of patients coming to harm” and it “could well” have led to deaths.
Dr Taherzadeh’s current CV, on the website of a Czech healthcare provider, lists him as having previously worked at a string of Irish hospitals including St James’, the Mater, Blackrock Clinic and, up to three years ago, St Vincent’s University and Private Hospital.
At the hearing, it was suggested he was not working in Ireland at the time of his application but had signalled his intention to return and would have been expected to quickly get a job in line with the specialist qualification.
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Dr Taherzadeh – who did not attend Tuesday’s hearing, during which his address was given as Iran – had faced four counts of professional misconduct. These related to the submission of false diplomas in support of his application in 2022 to move from the Irish Medical Council’s general division to its specialist division.
He claimed to have a specialist qualification in cardiology that came from Charles University in Prague. However, during two earlier days of evidence, the fitness-to-practise committee, chaired by Ronan Quirke, heard from university officials as well the Czech Ministry of Health that the documents provided by Dr Taherzadeh were false and the numbers on them corresponded to an award to a different doctor of a qualification in gynaecology and obstetrics.
Credible and compelling evidence had been provided to the committee, to the effect that the formats of the documents were either incorrect for 2022 or contained the wrong signatures, Mr Quirke said.
The committee also heard evidence that Dr Taherzadeh only obtained the qualification he was claiming to have in 2022 in December 2024 – having previously been declined permission to sit the required exam on one occasion, then subsequently allowed to sit it only to fail to complete it.
When challenged on foot of the Irish Medical Council’s initial inability to verify the diplomas he had provided, Mr Quirke said the evidence was that Dr Taherzadeh adopted “an argumentative position with the Medical Council”.
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“In no way did the registrant take any responsibility for the documentation other than to blame the authorities in the Czech Republic.
“The committee is satisfied that the registrant knowingly misled the medical council as to his educational status and as to his entitlement to be registered on the specialist division.”
The committee heard Dr Taherzadeh also claimed he had at one stage been arrested in Ireland and deported to Iran, where his medical qualifications had been suspended for a year because he had treated non-Muslim patients.
However, the committee heard evidence from Garda Det Insp Michael Griffin that Ireland does not deport people to Iran and would not have done so in the case of Dr Taherzadeh as he was believed to hold Dutch citizenship.
Mr Quirke said the claim was “an example of the casual approach adopted by the registrant in relation to the veracity of factual assertions made by him”.
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He said consultant cardiologist Prof Jim O’Neill had told the committee “that had the application been successful, the potential consequences for the public could well have been lethal”.
A successful registration of the qualification would have given Dr Taherzadeh the “opportunity to operate independently, to supervise juniors and treat patients”, in a manner he knew he was not qualified to do. His behaviour was described as “inherently dishonest”.
The four charges were found to be proven and the meeting was adjourned to allow an opportunity for submissions to be made regarding appropriate sanctions.
