“From the moment I was recognized, with a lawyer’s help, I can call myself a doctor,” he said. “My degrees were recognized and validated.”
But it is was not clear what degrees he actually holds.
On Facebook, Mr. Politi boasted regularly of his medical skill. Recent posts included a picture of him in a suit with the caption, written in both English and Romanian, “#DrMatthewMode, a doctor you can trust!” Another one said, “It’s important to always choose the best doctor! (meaning #DrMatthewMode).”
But in a video posted recently to Facebook, he seemed more like a playboy than a serious doctor, giving a “V” sign with his fingers and clutching a roll of Romanian bank notes.
“So Friday night, surgery, working, ready for party,” Mr. Politi said in the video, in heavily accented English, flanked by a giggling female co-worker. The caption said, “Friday afternoon pre-surgery and crazy mood.”
In another video, a woman who appeared to be a patient thanked Dr. Matthew Mode for her new lips.
Monza Hospital, a private clinic in Bucharest, confirmed that a man named Matteo Politi operated on one female patient in December. But the consultations leading up to the surgery took place in another medical institution, a statement on the clinic’s website said on Tuesday.
“Monza Group declares itself the injured party in this case and has begun legal action against Matteo Politi,” the statement said.
Mr. Politi’s story has drawn attention to possible loopholes in Romania’s struggling health system, in which private hospitals play a growing role alongside the state-run network. The country’s health minister, Sorina Pintea, recently announced that there would be more checks on the private system after cases of malpractice came to light last year, and she noted that medical impostors existed in other countries.
Source : Nytimes
