Maine officials have reprimanded and fined a doctor for failing to report all the disciplinary proceedings against him when he applied for his Maine license.
Assistant Executive Director Tim Terranova of the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine says when Dr. Aasim Sehbai applied for his Maine license, he reported that he'd been disciplined in Delaware for writing false reference letters to help foreign physicians win admittance to residency programs in the U.S. But Terranova says Sehbai needed to do more.
"When an applicant applies they sign an affadavit that says if anything happens, if I become aware of anything in another state while my license is being processed, I will inform you," Terranova says. "And he did not inform the board of the complaint against him in Delaware."
In that case, Sebhai asked a patient to sign four letters he'd drafted to defend his actions in a case involving medication.
Terranova says none of the actions for which Sebhai was disciplined harmed patients.
"The second one did include giving medication to a patient, but that was never actually given," he says. "And then the pressuring of the patient to sign a letter of support, basically, that could affect patients, but the board didn't find any clinical issues."
Sebhai is keeping his license to practice medicine here, but he is being fined $1,000 and told to report to Maine authorities if he actually gets a job here.
"He has to notify the board of his employer if he decides to work in the state," Terranova says. "But nothing is stopping him from working in the state."
Terranova says Sebhai is currently practicing in North Carolina.
