Expose fake doctors
YESTERDAY, we published a story about a police blitz on bogus doctors operating in Soweto. It’s possible that the dangers posed by the proliferation of fake doctors preying on people who, wittingly or unwittingly, seek medical help could easily be drowned out by the groundswell of anger around the KPMG scandal and politics.
But it is a story we must follow to the end. According to the report, the alleged fake doctor, a Congolese woman, has been operating as a medical doctor for the past 10 years, allegedly issuing sick notes, performing abortions and distributing medical certificates to drivers applying for Professional Driving Permits (PrDP).
As the “doctor” was being questioned by the police and officials from the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA), a 65-year-old, who works as a driver for a Johannesburg-based bus company, arrived, allegedly to buy a certificate to be able to apply for a PrDP.
According to the Roads Traffic Management Corporation, the woman was the fifth spurious doctor apprehended in Gauteng in four weeks.
While the grave danger posed by sham doctors performing illegal abortions that continue to be a blight to the government’s efforts to curb deaths arising from this is well documented, the issuing of fake certificates to drivers is disturbing.
It is common knowledge that some phoney doctors set up shop in offices, occasionally working with real physicians who know they do not have legitimate medical licences, or trick hospitals and clinics into believing they are the real thing.
That many of these impostors have some acquaintance with the world of medical practice through having some training as paramedics or having failed as medical students is commonplace.
That the practitioners are unqualified may surface only when patients complain to authorities after receiving poor medical care. Or, because their potential for doing harm is high, they may be exposed when a real doctor contacts the authorities after treating a patient who was hurt by the work of a fraudulent practitioner.
It is only when patients and a genuine doctor work closely with the police and expose them that these impostors may face arrest, conviction and prison sentences.