The medical professionals regulator has warned the public about a “serious patient safety risk” concerning a Wicklow-based GP, who has been suspended from practice.
The Medical Council said it believes Dr Regine Grah, of Silver Oak Family Practice in Bray, is continuing to work as a GP despite the High Court suspending her professional registration last month.
“We would advise in the strongest possible terms that patients and members of the public should not attend Dr Grah, nor request appointments or prescriptions from her,” it said in a rare public statement regarding an individual doctor.
It said it was “gravely concerned” there could be serious consequences for patient safety if Grah continues to practise.
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Last month, the Medical Council asked the High Court president to suspend Grah’s professional registration pending further steps being taken regarding her fitness to practise.
In his ruling granting the orders sought, Judge David Barniville said three pharmacies in the Wicklow and south Dublin areas raised concerns about the Côte d’Ivoire native’s prescribing practices.
In March, a Bray pharmacist alleged Grah prescribed high volumes and large quantities of benzodiazepines and “Z-drugs”, which have sedative-hypnotic effects, without any clear treatment plan for reduction or withdrawal. She claimed in a complaint to the Medical Council that the doctor sent the same prescription to multiple pharmacies, thereby creating an opportunity for patients to obtain the medication more than once. The pharmacist alleged the GP was not responsive to concerns raised and this prescription issue was occurring regularly.
The judge said material showed three related patients were repeatedly prescribed Xanax and diazepam in substantial quantities between December 2025 and February 2026.
Another pharmacist in Co Wicklow told the Medical Council he was concerned about benzodiazepine prescriptions issued by Grah that he felt could represent inappropriate prescribing. He alleged there was particularly high-dose prescribing and prescriptions given to people with known current or past substance misuse issues.
A Dublin pharmacist raised similar concerns.
The Medical Council determined at a meeting in late June that Grah’s prescribing patterns created an immediate risk of harm to the public.
The judge said Grah, who qualified as doctor in 2018 after completing training at a Romanian university, told the council certain patients were vulnerable and had been taking these medications before attending her practice. He said she claimed hospitals or psychiatrists were aware of the prescriptions and that she intended to wean the patients off the medications gradually.
The judge noted Grah did not attend the July 17th hearing before him as she said she was travelling to her clinic.
In deciding to suspend Grah’s registration, Barniville noted he was not determining the underlying complaint, which will be assessed at a later date.
He said the Medical Council was “entirely justified” in having “very serious concerns” that Grah did not appear to have professional indemnity insurance. The allegations about her prescribing practices were “serious” and the evidence before him appeared to be strong, he said.
If any future fitness to practise proceedings led to adverse findings against Grah, he said, a range of serious sanctions could be considered, including cancellation of her professional registration.
He was satisfied that protection of the public considerations “significantly” outweighed Grah’s constitutional right to a good name, reputation and livelihood.
Following a request from the Medical Council, the judge made an order permitting the media to name Grah. He said this was necessary to protect the public as there was evidence she was continuing to practise medicine and write prescriptions despite an apparent lack of insurance.
