Growing prevalence of life threatening bogus doctors must be curbed - SAMA

While welcoming the swift arrest of a bogus doctor by the Johannesburg Metro Police yesterday, the South African Medical Association (SAMA) is still worried about the increase in the number of these spurious individuals operating within the country's communities.

"Despite this and other recent arrests, the number of bogus doctors seems to grow," SAMA's Committee of Public Sector Doctors chairperson, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, said when receiving news of yesterday's arrest.

 "These so called doctors are still allowed to continue to display their advertisements around the streets, making promises, as we all know, ranging from penis enlargement, abortion, to ‘keeping your partner for life'."

The association is concerned that the prevalence of bogus doctors is still rife as they continue to take advantage of unsuspecting citizens: "Now's a good opportunity to warn members of our communities to be aware of these individuals and demand proof of registration from a recognised regulatory body from anyone who claims to be a doctor before risking their lives.

"Our doctors," Dr Ramathuba went on to stress, "are forced in many instances to have to deal with complications resulting from these illegal medical procedures - such as induction of abortion. Women are often left with no womb to bear children in future and worse, many die.

"Maternal mortality will remain high unless police strengthen their efforts towards arresting these quack doctors" 

To this end, the association official added, SAMA is now calling on the Department of Health to improve its clinic facilities primarily to provide the public with contraceptives to avoid unwanted pregnancies:

"Public hospitals must also improve termination of pregnancy services which are supposedly freely available to all the citizens. This will assist our desperate women who become victims of these criminals and end up losing their lives."

About the South African Medical Association (SAMA)

The South African Medical Association (SAMA) is a non-statutory, professional association for public and private sector medical practitioners.
Registered as an independent, non-profit Section 21 company SAMA acts as a trade union for its public sector members and as a champion for doctors and patients.

Statement issued by SAMA, June 7 2012

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