A doctor banned from practising in Poland has been able to work in Britain because of a Brexit loophole.
William Okanga-Ajwang, 64, was stripped of his right to practise by the Poznan Chamber of Physicians in January 2021.
A notification of his loss of licence was circulated by the European Union’s Internal Market Information (IMI) system, which provides details of medical wrongdoing among the bloc’s 27 member states.
However, the UK’s General Medical Council (GMC) did not receive the notification, as the country has been removed from the information-sharing platform.
The UK continues to share such information with the EU.
Other IMI warnings show another doctor who was struck off in France was able to keep his licence to practise in the UK.
However, the recent revelations came after The Times found more than 100 doctors who had been banned from practising in one country had been able to work in the UK.
Following the investigation, 11 doctors have been suspended from working and two have been struck off.
Ex-health minister, Nadine Dorries, told GB News the issue “should not be political” and the GMC “cannot keep burying its head in the sand”.
She said: “In my experience as a former nurse and minister in the Department of Health, I know what it means to trust the person treating you.
“The EU is withholding information about dangerous doctors and letting them waltz into the NHS – that is punishment.
“Patients in this country have no idea the doctor standing over them may have been struck off in Europe. This concerns people’s health, it should not be political.
“The GMC cannot keep burying its head in the sand over this.”
It is not yet known why Mr Okanga-Ajwang was struck off in Poland.
However, he later claimed he did not pay his licence fees.
Despite requesting verification of this claim with the Polish medical regulator, it refused to disclose the reason(s) to the GMC.
The UK medical regulator has adopted a more relaxed approach to doctors’ history than its European counterparts, with the GMC allowing overseas-qualified physicians to register even when they declare malpractice.
One doctor who initially failed to declare a suspension over sexual harassment in the workplace was later allowed a UK licence on a second attempt.
In another case, two doctors were granted licences despite having examination misconduct on their records and a sanction over a missed diagnosis.
The GMC has also disclosed how some wrongdoing doctors are able to revoke their licence and any misconduct is swept under the carpet, not being made public.
Since 2021, 179 doctors were able to step down from medical practice due to competence concerns.
Of those who applied for voluntary erasure, 119 were concerning their integrity, 34 for inappropriate relationships with patients, 18 for having a criminal record and 17 for prejudicial behaviour.
Voluntary erasure is a cheaper option for the GMC, which avoids the lengthier process of an official strike off.
However, the process means doctors are able to practise abroad, particularly if they already have a licence in the country in question.
GMC’s CEO Charlie Massey was subject to a grilling by the Health Select Committee over the organisation’s inability to remove doctors from practising.
When Mr Massey claimed the issue is complex, Tory MP Greg Stafford said: “I do accept this is difficult stuff, but The Times managed it.
“If they can manage it, it shouldn’t be beyond the wit of the medical regulator to manage it.”
Since the initial investigation in October 2025, freedom of information requests showed the GMC and the EU made no correspondence relating to the sharing of medical malpractice data.
Mr Stafford continued: “I have been raising this issue with both the government and the regulator for some time, yet there remains no adequate response or plan to restore access to EU disciplinary warnings shared through the Internal Market Information system.
“That gap matters. It goes directly to patient safety. There is now clear evidence that doctors who have been struck off or sanctioned overseas have been able to obtain or retain UK registration because critical information was not shared.
“The UK continues to provide disciplinary data to European regulators, while receiving nothing in return. That imbalance is hard to justify and harder still to defend. Labour needs to get a grip on this issue. Where a straightforward fix exists to close a known loophole in medical regulation, it should not be left unresolved.”
The GMC said patient safety “does not stop at international borders” and it carefully reviews any concerns flagged by overseas regulators before it decides whether a doctor can join or stay on the UK medical register.
It acknowledged losing access to EU information-sharing systems after Brexit has made it more difficult to build a full picture of a doctor’s background.
The Department of Health and Social Care said while overseas-trained doctors play a vital role in the NHS, the public rightly expects every practising doctor to meet the highest standards of conduct.
It described the allegations as deeply concerning and stressed there is a greater need for robust regulatory systems.
The department said it is working with EU counterparts to strengthen data-sharing on misconduct and malpractice.
An EU spokeswoman confirmed authorities from the UK and other non-EU countries are excluded from the bloc’s internal system for sharing information on doctors.
