Baghdad police arrest woman accused of posing as gynecologist for six years

BAGHDAD — Baghdad Rusafa Police Command said Saturday it arrested a woman accused of impersonating a gynecologist and practicing medicine for six years using forged documents.

In a statement, the command said the arrest was carried out “based on orders from the commander of Baghdad Rusafa Police,” adding that patrols from the Al-Zawraa Police Department detained a suspect “impersonating a gynecology and cosmetic doctor after being involved in practicing the medical profession for six years.”

Police said the woman confessed during questioning to opening unlicensed clinics and possessing “forged identification documents and receipts that were used in fraud operations.” The statement added that she admitted using the falsified papers “for the purpose of fraud and deception.”

The suspect was placed in detention and “referred to the competent court to take the necessary legal measures against her,” police said.

The case adds to a series of incidents involving unlicensed medical practice in Iraq. In July 2025, police in Maysan arrested a woman accused of posing as a doctor at Al-Hakim Teaching Hospital in Amarah after hospital officials confirmed “she had no connection to the institution,” according to police. In Najaf, authorities shut down an unlicensed cosmetic clinic last May and arrested two suspects, while months earlier another clinic run by a woman impersonating a doctor was closed, with banned drugs and unauthorized tools seized.

In August 2024, the Ministry of Health and the parliamentary Health and Environment Committee formed a joint task force to curb unlicensed medical practices, citing risks to public safety and repeated violations across several governorates.