A general practitioner has been removed from the medical register after establishing an unlicensed clinic where he charged cancer patients as much as £15,000 for garlic oil injections, falsely promising a 90 per cent cure rate.
Background of the case
Dr Mohsen Ali, who had been registered for 11 years, operated from a “squalid and unsanitary” room in his council house. He assured one patient that their cancer was “so easy to cure” that he would provide a refund if unsuccessful. Additionally, he told patients that the National Health Service was “trying to kill them” and that hospitals “only wanted their money.”
Police investigating a report discovered non-sterilised containers stored in a Halford’s box and a “decaying” mattress in his garden. A tribunal has now removed him from the register, citing a “fundamental breach of the tenets of the profession.”
Dr Ali’s qualifications and history
Dr Ali qualified from Cairo University in 1994 and began working in the United Kingdom in 2001. He held a full licence from 2004 until it was withdrawn in January 2015.
Between January and September 2018, Dr Ali consulted with and treated two cancer patients. Both individuals, one of whom was terminally ill, had been referred to him as a doctor who could help treat cancer. He informed both patients that he could cure their cancer, charging one £15,000 and the other between £10,000 and £12,000 for his services, according to the tribunal.
Advertising and false claims
Dr Ali advertised himself as a doctor with GP experience, claiming to aim for a 90 per cent cure rate for cancers and other illnesses. His flyer stated: “In the name of Allah the best healer we aim to achieve over 90 per cent cure rate in the most challenging illnesses e.g. Cancer (Malignant Tumours).”
One patient, identified only as Patient A by the tribunal, had stage three prostate cancer and was told that “your cancer can be easily cured.” Several specialists had previously advised that surgery was the most effective option, but Patient A was “desperate” to find an alternative due to potential side effects. During their first phone conversation, Dr Ali laughed and said that prostate cancer was so easy to cure that he would refund the money if he did not succeed. He later advised the patient not to listen to NHS doctors, claiming they were “just trying to make money” from chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The tribunal later found that Dr Ali would have been aware of the lack of evidence supporting his treatment for cancer.
Treatment details and conditions
During treatment, Dr Ali said he would inject Patient A with fluids but refused to disclose the ingredients, other than Vitamin C and garlic oil. He was found to be “evasive” when questioned about the contents. The treatment sessions took place at Dr Ali’s semi-detached council house and sometimes included ozone therapy, a controversial form of alternative medicine. One patient reported that when the cannula was removed, blood would spurt out, potentially contaminating others in the room.
Some liquids used during treatments were not stored in sterile conditions; some were found in plastic containers inside a Halfords box. An “old, decaying” mattress was visible in the garden, and there were no separate kitchen or toilet facilities for patients. An expert described the premises as “squalid, unprofessional, unhygienic, neglected and highly inappropriate, shared with a household living upstairs.”
Second patient and outcome
Dr Ali’s other patient, known as Patient B, died shortly after her treatment in 2018. Her husband stated that she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2015. She underwent surgery and NHS treatment, but when the cancer returned in January 2018, she was told that nothing more could be done, leading her to seek help from Dr Ali. Dr Ali claimed that instead of curing people, the NHS was killing them and that he could treat terminal cancer. He received between £10,000 and £12,000 from her, which her husband later realised was obtained under “false pretences.” Dr Ali administered substances including Vitamin C, oxygenated water, ozone treatment, and sodium bicarbonate.
Regulatory action and tribunal findings
A patient raised a concern with the General Medical Council in June 2019, and a crime report was filed by Leicestershire Police a month later. When interviewed, Dr Ali acknowledged that he was not registered but claimed he did not need to be because all his work was therapeutic. He stated he provided “herbal natural treatment,” cupping, and faith Quranic healing. Dr Ali did not attend the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) hearing, where Patient A expressed being “very angry” about how he was treated.
The MPTS struck Dr Ali off due to his “high and ongoing risk to public protection.” Nessa Sharkett, chair of the MPTS, said: “The Tribunal determined that Dr Ali poses a high and ongoing risk to public protection and that his fitness to practise is therefore currently impaired by reason of misconduct. The Tribunal was satisfied that Dr Ali poses a continuing risk to the health, safety and wellbeing of the public.”
The tribunal found that he misled vulnerable cancer patients into paying substantial sums for non-evidence-based treatment, practised without a licence, used unsafe and unhygienic premises, failed to obtain informed consent, failed to provide adequate information about treatment risks and side effects, failed to keep adequate records, and in Patient A’s case caused a delay in obtaining appropriate evidence-based treatment. He exploited the trust inherent in his position as a registered doctor, falsely advertised cancer cure claims, misled patients about his licence status and treatment, and used his professional standing to obtain money from vulnerable patients. Dr Ali breached fundamental tenets of the profession, including honesty, integrity, patient-centred care, informed consent, safe prescribing and administration, clear record keeping, and maintaining trust. The most serious sanction was deemed necessary as the only appropriate and proportionate measure to protect the public and the wider public interest.
