A Liberian doctor accused of falsifying his medical qualifications has denied any wrongdoing, saying the controversy is based on false assumptions and political motives.
In an email to BBC News, Dr. Peter Matthew George dismissed claims that he ever said he earned his medical degree from the University of Hertfordshire in the UK. “I never told anyone so. Those are make-up stories,” he wrote.
Dr. George was responding to questions from BBC journalists Moses KollieGarzeawu and Damian Zane, who interviewed him after reports emerged suggesting he had misrepresented his academic background.
Asked why the University of Hertfordshire appeared in his LinkedIn education history, he said: “Maybe I made an error when writing because am under pressure.” He clarified that his primary medical degree was from the University of Central Nicaragua.
Dr. George insisted that he has served the Liberian health sector with integrity since 2014, and noted that his qualifications were submitted to authorities at the start of his career without issue. He highlighted his role in improving medical services at the Chief Jallah Lone Government Hospital in Gbarpolu County, where he had received commendations.
“I have served the Liberian health sector diligently for over a decade with no record of misconduct,” he told the BBC.
He further claimed that the scrutiny intensified only after his election as president of the Liberia Medical and Dental Association (LMDA) in December last year. According to him, the backlash followed the LMDA’s advocacy around the reclassification of government-employed specialists and consultants.
The University of Hertfordshire, however, issued a firm rebuttal. In a statement to the BBC, it said:
“Following a thorough review of our academic records, we can confirm that there is no evidence that this individual was ever awarded any degree by the University nor studied here. Any claim to the contrary is therefore false and constitutes a misrepresentation of our institution.”
The university said it is cooperating with Liberian authorities and supporting any investigations.
Dr. George’s LinkedIn page, which had listed a “professional doctorate in medicine” at Hertfordshire between 2010 and 2014, has since been taken down. DN-News