Bogus doctor tries to solicit bribe at Chris Hani Baragwanath

A woman who posed as a doctor will soon appear in court after she was caught trying to solicit a bribe from a patient at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Johannesburg.

Following this, the Gauteng Department of Health issued a warning to the public on Monday, urging them to not fall prey to bogus healthcare practitioners who ask for money before offering their services.

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“A person impersonating a medical doctor was nabbed at [the hospital] on Sunday night (25 February) after they demanded that an escort to a patient pay R700 for the ‘doctor’ to assist the patient,” a statement from the department read.

“The member of the public became suspicious when the bogus doctor who was wearing green scrubs with the name ‘Dr Zulu’ imprinted on the uniform, advised her to meet at the pedestrian gate where the said payment was to be made.

“The escort notified the security personnel who eventually apprehended the bogus doctor at the hospital’s pedestrian gate.”

When the woman was asked to produce her Health Professional Council of South Africa (HPCSA) registration number and a persal number by the security and facility management, she was unable to do so.

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The hospital opened a case at Diepkloof Police Station.

“The bogus doctor spent a night in custody and was due to appear at the Orlando Magistrate’s Court this afternoon.

“The department urges the public to be vigilant by not falling for such scams. The healthcare workers in the facilities will never ask members of the public to pay them directly.

“If there are any fees payable in the hospital, this will be done at patient administration and an invoice will be issued to indicate exactly what the patient is paying for.”

Other fake doctors

Late last year Abdulkader Elyas and Matthew Lani were exposed for claiming to be qualified doctors, in the Western Cape and Joburg respectively.

Elyas, a Cape Town councillor at the time, claimed on his LinkedIn profile to have studied at the University of Cape Town (UCT) for a Bachelor of Business Science in actuarial science in 2015 and 2018, as well as for a medical degree from 2013 to 2018.

Lani, who dispensed health advice on TikTok, claimed to be a registered medical doctor with a degree from Wits University.

It was found neither of the two possessed the qualifications they claimed to.

Additional reporting by: Cornelia Le Roux and Vukosi Maluleke.