Have you ever thought about having surgery? Maybe you have a medical condition and you need one. Or maybe you were thinking about plastic surgery because you just want a little touch-up here and there. Either way, you need to do plenty of research on what procedure you want, but most importantly, you need to be sure about what doctor is going to perform this procedure for you.
I’m sure you’re aware that when you ask little kids what do they want to be when they grow up, they’ll tell you happily that they are going to become doctors. Well, let me tell you that sometimes things don’t end up the way we thought they would when we were little.
So, even though we would like to believe that we can fake it ’till we make it, some things are just not right. That’s why, without further ado, let’s talk about what kind of doctors you don’t want to deal with.
1. Rick Van Thiel
These days, you can learn almost anything from YouTube, but not medicine. At least this is what I’m thinking – and I also hope I’m not the only one – but turns out that there are some different opinions. For example, Rick Van Thiel, a man who used to run an illegal medical facility out of a trailer in Las Vegas, claimed that he learned how to be a surgeon just by watching 25 YouTube videos about medicine a day.
Guess we’ll pass on that knowledge…
In October 2015, he was arrested and charged with 30 felonies. Two years later, Van Thiel died by hanging himself in the Clark County Detention Center, a Las Vegas jail.
2. Malachi A. Love-Robinson
Known as ”Dr. Love”, Malachi A. Love-Robinson is a young man that claimed he was a doctor. He practiced medicine and naturopathy without a license. He performed physical exams and also offered medical expertise without having a license. When he was 18-years-old, he was arrested for fraud. Even though he was sentenced to serve 3,5 years of jail time, he was released after 20 months.
His patients said that Dr. Love convinced them that he has several degrees, including a Ph.D. and an M.D. Authorities affirmed that Dr. Love used to practice medicine out of a West Palm Beach Office and he also treated an officer who was undercover.
Daniel O’Sullivan, the company owner where Malachi A. Love-Robinson was working, called the cops in March 2020, with allegations that his employee stole from his business. His company operates as a broker that connects shippers or customers with transport companies.
More accurately, a customer pays a fee to the United States of Freight and after that, in turn, pays someone to deliver the products. This company keeps a broker compensation each time.
The ex fake doctor was using the name Alex Robinson and he was being paid commissions for taking care of these transactions between the customers and company. While he was working for five customers, within a month, he made those people pay him $10,130 directly, instead of his employer.
According to the police, four customers paid him via Venmo or PayPal and the money went directly to his personal checking account. One of the customers paid $2,675 to a business called National Logistics Division LLC, which was linked to Love-Robinson’s name and home address. He created this firm two months after he had been released from prison.
Some online records show that he registered the business with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which regulates bus firms and trucking, but his company is now listed as inactive.
Daniel O’Sullivan tried to handle the issues with Love-Robinson privately, but it didn’t work out. The ex fake doctor told his boss that he’s going to give all the money back, because he doesn’t want to end up in jail, but according to O’Sullivan, he went back on his word.
Daniel O’Sullivan finally called the police and pressed charges, but he wasn’t arrested until the last day of 2020.
3. Oneal Ron Morris
If you were considering getting a Brazilian butt lift, then ”doctor” Oneal Ron Morris shouldn’t be on your list of people to choose from. The 38-year-old woman known as the ”Toxic Tush”, injected bathroom cement, caulk, super glue, fix-a-flat, and mineral oil into patient’s bodies for enhancing their curves. Many women complained to a judge that they became sick after the fake doctor injected those materials into their bodies.
The patients believed that Ron Morris used medical-grade silicone for the illegal cosmetic procedures that she performed. Besides the side effects that her patients felt, Oneal is also accused of manslaughter. A woman called Shatarka Nuby died soon after she went to the ‘doctor’ for a procedure, where Ron Morris injected cement and superglue in her buttocks area.
4. Rajesh alias Ompal Sharma
Rajesh alias Ompal Sharma is a man who retired as a Sergeant from the Indian Air Force. He learned the skills of performing surgery during his time as a Sergeant, where he worked as an assistant to senior medical figures. After that, he went to Nangal and he procured fake degrees and licenses. He performed over 6,000 surgeries within 4 years and a few cases went wrong.
His fraud was made public by a doctor who used to work with Rajesh and lodged a complaint against him. After that, the police filed a case against Ompal Sharma, took him to court and sent him to jail.
5. Shyam Acharya
Shyam Acharya worked in the public health system for 11 years, respectively from 2003 to 2014. He treated numerous patients in Gosford, Hornsby, Royal North Shore, Wyong, Mona Vale and Manly hospitals.
In 2006, he stole the identity of Dr. Sarang Chitale and he pretended to be him from 2006 to 2007 when he was caught by the authorities and fined $30,000 by the Downing Centre Local Court.
A couple of the fake doctor’s patients were interviewed by the authorities and it was concluded that he had not harmed anyone during his time in the New South Wales health system.
According to an inquiry, it was determined that Shyam Acharya had been a medical intern in Pune, India, but it wasn’t clear if he received further medical training or not.
6. Muhammad Waheed Butt
Muhammad Waheed Butt is a security man, who impersonated a doctor at a hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. He performed surgery on an 80-year-old woman named Shameema Begum who died soon after the intervention.
According to the authorities, Butt was a security guard at the hospital, but he was fired for trying to extort money from patients. Turns out he likes medicine.
Shameema Begum went to the Mayo public hospital to get a treatment done and Muhammed Waheed Butt performed surgery on her and after that, he sent the woman home.
According to a Lahore police spokesperson, the ex-guard posed as a doctor and paid some visits to the patient’s homes as well.
My true honest opinion is that being a surgeon is one of the most difficult professions you can choose. You have to be really smart, dedicated and also talented. I don’t think medicine is for everyone.
Deciding which surgeon to trust can be a really challenging process, but at least now you know where you shouldn’t go, so keep everything I’ve said above in mind.
Go to multiple consultations, start reading reviews, analyze everything and you’ll be fine. If you do not want to get botched and live your life in pain… well, you’ve guessed it: you need to do your research!
