Assistant posed as a doctor at chaotic surgery of GP given farm seized by Mugabe

By A ZIMBABWEAN GP who was given the farm of a white family who were forced off their land this year has had his surgery in Britain shut down after inspectors found a healthcare assistant posing as a doctor.

Dr Sylvester Nyatsuro resigned on Wednesday, the day before an inspection report on his Nottingham surgery, the Willows Medical Centre, was published. The Care Quality Commission report listed a number of failings.

The healthcare assistant, who was not a qualified medical professional, was employed in March this year and took part in nearly 900 clinical procedures, including diagnoses, assessments of wounds and infections, and diabetes reviews. Organisation at the practice was described as “chaotic” and employees said there was a culture of fear and blame. The report also found there were not enough staff to keep patients safe. Seventy patients have been recalled as a precautionary measure.

The report branded the surgery as “inadequate” overall with care rated as “requires improvement”. It was rated “inadequate” for its safety, management, effectiveness, and responsiveness. The practice was closed in June. There were protests at the practice earlier this year after Dr Nyatsuro was accused of seizing land from Zimbabwean tobacco farmers.

Philip and Anita Rankin were evicted from their £1 million farm by 20 men armed with AK-47 rifles in February. The 2,000-acre property was handed to Dr Nyatsuro who lives 7,500 miles away in Nottingham.

The GP, who moved to Britain in 2000 and owns a weight-loss clinic, is believed to be close to Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean dictator.

He has always denied knowledge of the violence used to enforce his claim to the Rankins’ farm, and says he was allocated the property by the state in accordance with normal legal procedure and that no political influence was brought to bear on the decision.