Man denies Cancer Foundation claims he posed as a doctor

Hours after the Guyana Cancer Foundation issued a statement claiming that Mikhail Radius McLennan had falsely claimed to be a medical doctor to gain entry into the organisation, the young man who owns a modeling agency has claimed otherwise.

In tears, McLennan sat down with the News Room for an interview at his Georgetown residence.

He said he joined the Foundation about three weeks ago and claimed that the President and Founder Bibi Hassan was well aware that he was a medical student in his final year at the University of Guyana.

He said shortly after he joined the team at the Foundation as “medical personnel” several questions arose but he denied that he presented himself to Hassan as a medical doctor.

“They had a medical outreach there, so my point is if she knew that I wasn’t in the health field why did you still take me on to work and do something like that?”

“I am a student doctor and I still need to write my final exam and she [Hassan] knows that. She knows I don’t have a license. She knows that,” the young man said. He claimed that he has taken a break from university because of financial challenges.

In an earlier statement, Hassan said “he had asked to volunteer with Guyana Cancer Foundation. I took him as a Volunteer… I questioned him about his Medical Degree and he refused to send a copy of it to us. He said he is working as a Medical Officer/Pharmacist at ROK Pharmacy and there is no such Pharmacy exist!”

Asked about these claims, McLennan told the News Room that he was employed at the Pharmacy in Eccles as an acting medical officer and pharmacist but it has since closed down.

Ask for proof that he worked at the pharmacy and is also a student at UG, McLennan said he has his badges and all necessary documentation but couldn’t immediately locate them.

The young man said when he saw the post on the Cancer Foundation’s Facebook page which later made its way onto the social media pages of several mainstream media outlets he felt embarrassed.

“She [Hassan] blocked me. She never answered her phone. I tried calling from a private number she never answer either.”

McLennan said he believes the situation could have been handled differently.

But outside of the specific complaint by the Foundation, other persons have since taken to Facebook to claim that the young man presented himself as a doctor to other individuals and organisations.

“No, I never did that.”

There is a picture purportedly showing him giving an injection to someone.

“That was not an injection, that was RBS, rapid blood sugar. Anybody can do that,” he added.

Further, he said “I don’t think any human being can do this to somebody… why would you do something like this to somebody?”

McLennan said while he is currently unemployed he also owns a modeling agency.

“She is tarnishing my name and my name is my modeling agency.”

Interestingly, in his CV presented to the cancer foundation, Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan is listed as a reference. In the interview, the young man said she is his aunt.

That CV also claimed that he is a former student at Queens College and the Texila American University but persons have also challenged those claims.