Over 100 doctors and their partners attended the launch of Blood Money – The Cyril Karabus Story (Jacana Media).
The event took place on 21 May at Sandton’s Summer Place.The book tells the story of retired paediatric oncologist, Prof. Cryril Karabus’ nine-month fight to prove his innocence after being charged with manslaughter and forgery following the death of a patient in Abu Dhabi in 2002 when Karabus was doing a locum.
Karabus was arrested and imprisoned in Dubai while on his way home from his son’s wedding in Canada in August 2012.
According to Karabus, at the time of his arrest, he was not aware of the charges, trial in his absence and his conviction by an Abu Dhabi court.
At the launch, Dr Morris Goodman, head of health profession strategy at Discovery Health, introduced the three speakers, Belling, Karabus and Dr Theo Kopenhager of Houghton, who was responsible for the boycott of an international medical conference arranged by a company in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – and the eventual cancellation of the conference – in protest against the continued detention of Karabus in Abu Dhabi.
Belling said Karabus had saved many young cancer patients. She said, “Cyril [Karabus] saved so many little people [children] and, in the end, it was the big people [adults] that saved him.”
Kopenhager explained how he had accepted an invitation to address a gynaecological conference. He said when he subsequently found out that the conference was arranged by a company based in the UAE, he withdrew in protest of the detention of Karabus, requesting the other participants to do the same. “The story went viral, with doctors in droves abandoning speaking commitments at other conferences and many refused to attend,” said Kopenhager.
Karabus explained how shocked he was when he was arrested at the airport and also being called a murderer. He described his two month period in jail, before he was released on bail and followed a seven month stay with a former South African doctor, Dr Elwin Buchel, in Abu Dhabi.
“I was often unaware of what was happening during my 21 court appearances, as no translator was provided. In March 2013 I was finally acquitted of the charges, but was only allowed to return to South Africa two months later,” said Karabus.
Belling said her book was available from bookstores nationwide and was selling for R190.
Details: janine@jacana.co.za
