An inquiry by the Medical Council heard the doctor, Milan Minic, is accused of five counts of professional misconduct over the alleged falsification of a note from the private hospital seeking for him to be accommodated at the Mayson Hotel on North Wall Quay in Dublin.
It heard Dr Minic subsequently contacted the hotel to look for a reservation in a “warehouse cosy room” for two nights “on the highest floor available”.
Dr Minic is also charged with a breach of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007 over his alleged failure to respond to a request from the Medical Council for information relating to a complaint against him.
The Canadian doctor, who worked as a resident medical officer in the Blackrock Clinic before being dismissed in May 2021, did not attend the hearing.
However, the council’s Fitness to Practise Committee decided to proceed with the inquiry on the basis that Dr Minic had been formally notified that it was due to be held on Tuesday.
It had already twice adjourned the inquiry earlier this year in order to facilitate him.
The committee’s chairperson, Joseph McMenamin, said it was clear that Dr Minic had “deliberately and voluntarily absented himself from the process”.
The inquiry heard the case arose following a complaint by the head of HR at the Blackrock Clinic, Patricia Nolan, who claimed he had engaged in fraudulent and dishonest conduct by forging a document purporting to come from the clinic.
Ms Nolan said Dr Minic had been given every opportunity by his employers to explain events but he had failed to respond to emails and had not engaged with a subsequent disciplinary process.
Counsel for the Medical Council, Caoimhe Daly BL, told the hearing that a number of hotels were used during the pandemic to provide temporary accommodation for essential medical staff who either had immuno-compromised family members, problems with using public transport or had to travel long distances to attend work.
Ms Daly said the letter allegedly forged by Dr Minic had sought accommodation at the Mayson Hotel on April 21, 2021, which was purportedly signed by the clinic’s HR business partner, Claire Poole.
The inquiry heard Dr Minic subsequently contacted the hotel to look for a reservation in a “warehouse cosy room” for two nights “on the highest floor available”.
However, staff at the Blackrock Clinic became aware of the alleged false document after the hotel carried out a verification check on Dr Minic’s booking.
Ms Daly informed the committee that Dr Minic had already twice had a request for temporary hotel accommodation refused by the Blackrock Clinic in the previous seven months.
The clinic said Dr Minic, who had his own private accommodation in Dublin, did not meet the criteria to be put up in a hotel.
Ms Daly said the other allegations related to Dr Minic using the falsified letter and follow-up emails to misrepresent to the Mayson Hotel that he was required to stay there to facilitate his work at the Blackrock Clinic.
She claimed the allegations, if proven, represented professional misconduct in that the actions of the doctor were “disgraceful and dishonourable” as well as falling far short of the standards expected of medical professionals.
The general manager of the Mayson Hotel, Russell Hadley told the inquiry that the hotel was only open at the time for “essential stays” under government regulations who were offered “flexible rates”.
The hotel’s receptionist, Tom Carroll, said a HR executive at the Blackrock Clinic was surprised when he called to verify Dr Minic’s booking as the Mayson was not one of the hotels being used to accommodate its staff.
Mr Carroll said Dr Minic was informed on arrival in the hotel about an hour later that his reservation was cancelled as it could not be verified.
He recalled that the doctor was very surprised but also “very friendly and very polite”.
The receptionist said Dr Minic hung around the lobby for a while before purchasing some stationery and leaving the hotel.
Mr Carroll said the main reason he had checked the booking was because Dr Minic had stated his own address was somewhere in Dublin 2.
He said it was surprising that someone with that address would be looking to stay at a hotel in Dublin 1.
In other evidence, Ms Poole confirmed that she had not signed the letter provided to the hotel by Dr Minic.
The witness said she tried to contact the doctor by email to express concern about the forgery but got no response.
Ms Poole explained that the Blackrock Clinic only provided letters to verify the need for hotel accommodation for staff but the choice of hotel rested between the HSE and essential workers.
The clinic’s chief operations officer, Chris Carr, who carried out an internal investigation into the forged document, informed the inquiry that Dr Minic had not replied to a request for assistance.
Prof McMenamin said the committee would issue its ruling on a later date.