"Nigerian-trained doctor lied about qualifications when applying for jobs at South London hospitals." A doctor who trained in Nigeria has been barred from practising in the UK after repeatedly lying on various NHS job applications and claiming a "virtual assistant" was responsible for the errors. Dr Stephen Igwe falsely claimed he achieved a distinction in his medical degree, exaggerated the importance of his role in a London NHS trust, and denied being investigated by the General Medical Council (GMC).
He was struck off the medical register following a Medical Practitioners Tribunal (August 10–19), which also found his prescribing ability, emergency skills and neonatal knowledge were not up to standard. Dr Igwe qualified in 2021 from Abia State University in Nigeria. While working as a junior clinical fellow in neonatology at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust in July 2024, he applied for a senior clinical fellow vacancy in paediatric emergency medicine at King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
He falsely claimed a distinction MB BS from Abia State in 2019 (he actually graduated without distinction in 2021), claimed to be a middle-grade clinical fellow in the paediatric emergency department since July 2023 (his actual post was a junior clinical fellow in neonatology on a 6-month contract from March 2024), and listed a junior colleague as his senior line manager and referee without consent.
When the interviewing consultant checked references, a Lewisham colleague said he did not know Dr Igwe at all; confronted, Dr Igwe insisted "Yes, I am" (a paediatric emergency registrar) — the consultant reported him to the GMC. In November 2024 and January 2025 applications to Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, he denied being under GMC investigation. He later admitted all allegations, saying the dishonesty arose from panic that his employment contract would not be renewed, meaning he might lose his visa and income and have to return to Nigeria.
He initially invented a "virtual assistant" in Nigeria to blame for the application errors, then withdrew the claim. A February 2025 GMC performance assessment declared his clinical management "unacceptable" due to poor prescribing and basic life support skills, posing a direct risk to patient safety. The tribunal removed him from the UK medical register on two grounds: serious misconduct (widespread dishonesty) and deficient professional performance. (Source: MSN news.)
