More bogus doctors slipping through

BOGUS doctors are increasingly seeping into the health system.

SA Medical Association chairperson Dr Mzukisi Grootboom said they had noted several cases where people had masqueraded as doctors and pharmacists. He said it was “very sad that our people are exposed” to scamsters and imposters.

Leigh-Anne Georgiev, spokesperson for the voluntary, self-regulatory body, Allied Healthcare Association of South Africa (AHASA), said: “There are too many illegal agencies, who claim to be unaware of the requirements to operate an agency and ignorance is not an excuse. AHASA welcomes the regulation of health-care recruitment companies.”

A recruitment agent, who asked not be named, said it was worrying not knowing if candidates in the health sector were being properly vetted. He cited two incidents in the Western Cape where recruitment agencies hired an imposter to a pharmacist post at a day hospital and a doctor who was not registered with the HPCSA to work at a clinic, where he allegedly raped a patient. Both men were arrested and face charges in court.

Western Cape Department of Health spokesperson Mark van der Heever said, “We only procure the services of locum doctors and nurses via registered agencies.”