The bogus doctor arrested at Tembisa Tertiary Hospital on Tuesday night was a patient at the facility just last month. 

Gauteng health department tells Health-e News that a preliminary investigation reveals that the 37-year-old woman was caught in the same ward she was admitted in as a patient from 23 to 28 May. 

The department’s spokesperson Motalatale Modiba says the woman was caught by nurses while she was  pretending to be doing rounds at the general ward at the hospital. She was wearing a black tracksuit, with a mask and a stethoscope around her neck. 

“The nurses became suspicious when they interacted with her. Her medical knowledge was questionable. Security personnel were notified of the suspected imposter. She was asked to produce her Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) registration number and her persal number and she failed to do that,” Modiba says.  

The bogus doctor was arrested by the hospital security and handed over to the police. 

“A case has been opened at the Rabasotho Police station in Tembisa and she was charged for  impersonating a medical practitioner and was scheduled to appear before the Tembisa Magistrate court yesterday [Thursday]. The matter is still under investigation,” says Modiba.

Police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo says the case has been moved to Friday.

Bogus health practitioners a concern

Last year the department opened a criminal case against a Gauteng TikTokker, known to his followers as Dr Matthew Lani, for impersonating a medical doctor. Lani was arrested at Helen Joseph hospital where he was taking videos and photos in the hospital corridors pretending to be a doctor.  

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According to the department, further investigations revealed that he had also stolen the identity of a second year medical intern, Dr Sanele Zingelwa, who worked at Tembisa Hospital.

Modiba says the trend of bogus health practitioners is concerning across the healthcare system. 

“The department is concerned by incidents of this nature and continues to improve our processes and access control measures. Staff members have been urged to always  wear their name badge for ease of identification,” he says. 

He adds that the department recently appointed new security companies on a long term basis. 

“We have ongoing awareness with our staff and the public to be more vigilant against imposters who want to undermine the work of healthcare workers,” he says. 

He says the department will continue to work with law enforcement agencies and the HPCSA to clamp down on these bogus doctors. 

Imposters on the rise

A statement issued by HPCSA last month shows that during the 2023/24 financial year, 24 illegal medical practitioners were arrested nationwide. 

“Since the current financial year began in April to date, 10 more arrests have already been made. The council is intensifying its efforts to combat bogus and unregistered practitioners.  This surge in arrests underscores Council’s commitment of eliminating bogus practitioners who pose a serious risk to public health and safety,” reads the statement. 

The HPCSA says it hopes the arrests and possible prosecutions will serve as a strong deterrent to the potential offenders. – Health-e News