Congolese ‘quack’ bust at last
DANGEROUS DECEIT: HAS ALLEGEDLY BEEN TREATING PATIENTS, DISPENSING DRUGS FOR YEARS Health Professions Council and Medicines Control Council raid leads to arrest.
An alleged bogus doctor was arrested on Friday following an investigation by The Citizen. John Peter Kadiubu has allegedly been treating patients and dispensing medication and medical certificates from a tiny shack in Oukasie township in Brits in the North West for decades.
He is expected to appear in the Brits Magistrate’s Court today on charges of contravening Section 22 (a) of the Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965 and section 17 (1) (a) of the Health Professions Act 56 of 1974.
The practice has also been claiming from medical aid schemes.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo national, known as Dr John, could not produce his asylum permit for the police.
The Citizen tracked down the 45-year-old “Dr John” last year after a tip-off from community members.
It was established that the man had allegedly been operating a surgery in a backyard shack for many years.
This follows a previous investigation that led to the arrest of another alleged bogus doctor, James Mathopa.
He had apparently been operating as a medical doctor and dispensing medicines for many years at Mabieskraal and Tlhabane surgeries, also in the North West province.
Mathopa’s case has been referred to the High Court in Rustenburg and witnesses have been lined up to testify against him.
The Citizen reported Kadiubu to acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane and the North West national provincial police in May.
Phahlane requested information be forwarded to him, but he did not receive it.
The North West provincial police pleaded with The Citizen not to publish the story in case the suspect destroyed evidence.
Despite the evidence collected by the investigating team and visits to the doctor’s consulting rooms, Kadiubu was not stopped from practising as a doctor.
In December, the provincial police said that they could not arrest him because they had replaced two police agents and that they would continue to work on the undercover project.
By March there had still been no movement on the matter.
But on Friday, Kadiubu was finally arrested after an intervention by the Health Professions Council of South Africa, the Medicines Control Council and officials from a private medical aid scheme.
According to Warrant Officer Mpeile Talane, spokesperson for the Brits police station, medicines valued at R50 000 were confiscated when Kadiubu was arrested.
“On arrival police found boxes of medication.
“The suspect could not account for why he was in possession of the said items, thus he was arrested and detained. “The investigation continues,” said Talane. –