Crackdown on suspended doctors
THE net is closing on suspended and unregistered doctors in the province as the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) cracks down on medics who refuse to obey the law.
On Friday, a Glenwood doctor who was struck off the HPCSA’S roll, but who continued to practise despite warnings, was closed down by the council.
The council used back-up from the Hawks after he refused to stop practising.
It is claimed the 56-year-old had random outbursts, would shout and scream at patients and came across as hostile.
The council’s regulations state that any doctor or student who has an impairment should declare this to the board.
Their condition would be discussed before a special committee, who would make a decision as to whether the practitioner was fit to practise.
The council’s Mischelle Julius, of the recently established Durban inspectorate office, said the Glenwood doctor was suspended on June 22.
“What was more concerning was that nearby pharmacies were still taking prescriptions from him, despite being warned that he was suspended.”
She said there were at least 20 other health practitioners in the Durban area that the inspectorate was investigating.
Three weeks ago, in another case, a Cuban doctor in Pietermaritzburg was charged after being found to have been unregistered with the council for 14 years, Julius said.
“The normal procedure is that if someone is suspended or if it has come to our attention that they are unregistered, they need to stop practising immediately.
“In the case of the Glenwood doctor, the council’s health committee carried out an assessment on him and found that he was unwell,” said Julius.
She said it was important for the proper procedures to be followed to protect the integrity of the profession and also to protect the community from doctors who were unlawful.
Julius said the HPCSA urged the public to check that their health practitioners were registered.
“Its website, which is open to the public, contains a full list of all practitioners. If they are unregistered or have been erased from the roll, this too will reflect on the website,” said Julius.
She said any doctor or health practitioner who did not comply with the rules of the HPCSA would face criminal action.
Anyone with information on such practitioners can contact the HPCSA Durban inspectorate office on 031 830 5293/94 or send an e-mail to Mischalinej@hpcsa. co.za with their complaint.
Hawks spokesperson Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo confirmed a case had been registered against the Glenwood doctor and that he would appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.