-Following Rep. Marie G. Johnson’s Proposal

By Jerromie S. Walters
Following a concern raised by Representative Marie G. Johnson of Electoral District #2 in Grand Gedeh County, the House of Representatives has mandated its Committee on Health to investigate the alarming issue of fraudulent medical credentials within Liberia’s healthcare system.
In a letter addressed to House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon, and elaborated on during the House’s Thursday, May 29, 2025, Rep. Johnson called for an immediate investigation into what she describes as a systemic failure that has put countless Liberian lives at risk.
“Honorable Speaker and Deputy Speaker, the presence of fraudulent academic credentials emerging within our healthcare system poses a severe risk to the lives of our citizens. Inadequate training resulting from these false qualifications has led to cases of misdiagnosis, incorrect prescriptions, and dangerous medical treatments, culminating in numerous preventable deaths in both government and privately operated medical facilities across the country,” she said.
The stunning scandal came to light when the Liberia Medical and Dental Council (LMDC) revoked George’s medical license in April 2024 after discovering he could not provide verifiable proof of graduating from the University of Hertfordshire in the UK, the institution he claimed had awarded his medical degree.
George had been employed at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center (JFKMC) since 2014 and later rose to lead the LMDA before being dismissed when his fake qualifications were exposed. Rep. Johnson issued a grave warning in her letter, stating that George’s deception may have contributed to numerous preventable deaths due to misdiagnoses, incorrect prescriptions, and botched medical procedures performed by an unqualified practitioner.
She posed the critical question of how many Liberians may have suffered or died under the care of this fake doctor, emphasizing that this case goes beyond one man’s lies to reveal institutional failures that allowed this situation to persist. The case has exposed serious weaknesses in Liberia’s credential verification systems. Despite George’s high-profile position, no proper checks were conducted on his academic records for nearly ten years, raising concerns that other unqualified professionals might still be working in hospitals across the country.
Rep. Johnson pointed to multiple systemic failures, including lax hiring practices at JFKMC and the Ministry of Health that failed to properly vet George before employment, regulatory negligence by the LMDC that only acted after public outcry, and a lack of oversight from the Commission on Higher Education regarding verification of foreign degrees.
Her words: “With specific reference to the case of Mr. George, his misrepresentation at the John F.
Kennedy Medical Center, Liberia’s largest referral hospital, put patients at direct risk. His
fraudulent qualifications severely undermined the hospital’s integrity, screening procedures, and oversight mechanisms.”
The Grand Gedeh lawmaker made several urgent demands in response to the scandal. She called for a full plenary investigation that would summon Health Minister Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah and LMDC officials to explain these failures. Rep. Johnson also pushed for the implementation of stricter credential checks through digital verification systems for all medical professionals, criminal prosecution for George and any complicit officials, and public awareness campaigns to educate citizens on how to verify doctors’ qualifications.
The scandal has generated significant public outrage, with many Liberians expressing anger on social media and sharing stories of medical malpractice while demanding justice for potential victims. Upon extensively elaborating on the matter, the House of Representatives Committee on Health was tasked with reviewing the extent of the issue and reporting its findings to the legislature. The investigation will assess whether regulatory bodies failed in their duty to properly verify medical credentials before granting licenses to practitioners.
Lawmakers are also expected to recommend stricter policies to ensure that only qualified professionals are allowed to operate within Liberia’s healthcare system.
Public trust in medical institutions has been severely shaken by the scandal, with many citizens expressing concerns about the integrity of healthcare services. The LMDC has since announced a nationwide credential audit, requiring all medical professionals to submit updated documentation for verification.