Unregistered doctors arrested in the Cape
Two doctors, neither of whom is registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), have been arrested in the Western Cape and appeared in court, reports IOL.
Dr Rasheed Fareed Mahfouz, who appeared in court on Friday and was remanded in custody, was found practising as a locum “while erased from the HPCSA register in 2015 in terms of Section 42(1)(c) of the Health Professions Act”, said Christopher Tsatsawane, head of division for the HPCSA’s corporate affairs.
Mahfouz had been employed by a Dr Augustus, who has since been reported to HPCSA’s complaint-handling unit for misconduct.
In the second case, Ilunga Nzabadi, a Congolese national, was found practising in Stellenbosch.
“Dr Bholat, a registered practitioner, (had) employed Ilunga Nzabadi, who was arrested and taken to Stellenbosch SAPS for contravening Section 17(1) of the Health Professions Act,” Tsatsawane said, adding that Bholat has also been reported to the complaint-handling unit.
The two registered medical doctors have since been reported to the HPCSA’s complaint-handling unit for misconduct.
The HPCSA requests registered practitioners to refrain from employing unregistered persons as this poses a serious risk to the health and lives of the unsuspecting public. Practising whilst not registered is a criminal offence.
Members of the public can verify a medical practitioner’s status by calling the HPCSA’s call centre on 021 338 9300/1.