Electrotherapy alert over bogus Scottish pyschiatrist Zholia Alemi

Alemi: jailed for five years for defrauding patients
Alemi: jailed for five years for defrauding patients
PRESS ASSOCIATION

A bogus psychiatrist who treated hundreds of patients in Scotland may have referred some for needless electroconvulsive therapy, Scotland’s chief medical officer has warned.

Dr Catherine Calderwood has ordered a review of patient records at six Scottish health boards where Zholia Alemi worked.

She had no qualifications but earned a reputation as a mental health expert during a 22-year career in the NHS. She was jailed for five years in October for defrauding patients. A court in Carlisle heard she faked a patient’s will in an attempt to inherit her £1.3m estate.

In a letter obtained by The Herald newspaper, Calderwood said she expects the review to identify patients who were significantly affected by Alemi’s activity through “prescription of drugs, electroconvulsive therapy, treatment or diagnosis,