Unveiling Frauds Related to Foreign Dentists in Belgium: Exposing the Exploitation of Romanian Diplomas

2023-08-23 05:06:56

Over the past five years, several frauds related to foreign dentists have taken place in Belgium. That’s what wrote The standard. According to the Flemish Association of Dentists, public schools in Romania are the cause, because dentistry diplomas are on sale there.

Almost half of new dentists who start working in Belgium do so with a foreign diploma, mainly Romanian. According to the Association of Flemish Dentists, in many cases dentists with a Romanian degree have practically no knowledge of dentistry.

“When they appear before the recognition commission, they cannot answer the simplest questions,” says Frank Herrebout, president of the association of Flemish dentists. However, the recognition commission cannot refuse their request, because Romania is part of the European Union. Consequently, the diplomas are automatically homologated.

Mr. Herrebout also highlights the high number of people from North Africa with a Romanian dental degree. “We know of public schools in Romania where it is possible to graduate for a fee,” she said.

Federal MP Frieda Gijbels (N-VA), herself a periodontist, has been denouncing this situation for some time. According to Ms. Gijbels and Mr. Herrebout, this practice opens the door to fraud.

Research by the Riziv revealed that at least 27 cases of “intentional fraud” have been detected in the past five years. In its report, the NIH states that “not all indications of fraud are investigated”. The Riziv also identified several violations.

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