Data Flow Group claims an increase in healthcare employment application fraud in GCC
Data Flow Group has detected an increase in employment application fraud by international healthcare workers seeking employment in the GCC’s healthcare industry as governments across the globe loosen travel restrictions and many industries return to work.
According to statistics collected by the organization, overall fraud rates across all sectors have climbed by 15% from the same period in 2020, with the healthcare industry being one of the top market areas drawing fraudulent applications.
A substantial number of international employees are drawn to the healthcare industry. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) observed an increase in physicians and nurses in most OECD nations in a 2019 study, attributed to a surge in local and foreign-born and trained healthcare personnel. Data Flow Group has observed a 12% increase in fraudulent applications among doctors from 2019 to 2020, following the growth of doctors and nurses educated overseas looking for employment in the GCC’s healthcare industry. Nurse fraud has increased by 72%, with India and the Philippines being the highest-risk nations, accounting for 73% of all recorded frauds.
Sunil Kumar, CEO of Data Flow Group, discussed reasons for the rise in fraudulent applications. “We had seen a falling trend in document fraud prior to the epidemic.” On the other hand, COVID-19 has resulted in a rise in unemployment as businesses operate through limitations and lockdown times. Healthcare was one industry that did not see an increase in unemployment. Indeed, the World Health Organization estimates that by 2030, there will be a global shortfall of 18 million health professionals, with nurses accounting for over half of that.
While fraudulent applications have been found in all industries that require competent personnel, Data Flow Group research suggests that they are prevalent in engineering and healthcare. Unqualified healthcare professionals constitute a substantial threat to society.
They see non-resident nationalities seeking better employment opportunities and the chance to work and live in another country applying within the GCC. Unfortunately, they have seen a rise in the number of people submitting tampered documents to secure employment. The Data Flow Group has observed that two doctors or nurses out of every hundred healthcare professionals are not qualified to perform their role competently. It can have serious consequences, including substandard treatment, poor medical decisions, and even patient death. In these critical areas, there should be no room for mistakes.
Type of Fraud Observed by Data Flow Group
The most common types of fraud Data Flow Group has observed includes
fabricated or edited educational certificates,
inflated claims regarding experience,
misinformation about past employers, and
qualifications bought from diploma mills.
Data Flow Group works with over 100,000 verification entities worldwide. To tackle the problem and assist governmental bodies, ministries, and private organizations in adopting a more careful, data-driven approach to recruiting. The Primary Source Verification and TrueProfile services from Data Flow Group give applicants a platform to upload and validate their papers, credentials, and work history. This data is then double-checked using both automatically and manually. After successful verification, individuals can apply for jobs in the GCC’s healthcare sector. Businesses can feel confident that these applicants have the appropriate qualifications and experience to fulfill the region’s high healthcare standards.