The Health Professions Council of South Africa is clamping down on unregistered practitioners.
Two Durban health care practitioners have been arrested for allegedly providing healthcare services without being registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).
The HPCSA, in a statement, said that in their recent investigations, they discovered that 39-year-old Zinhle Precious Buthelezi was practising illegally.
“Ms Buthelezi allegedly violated section 17(1) of the Health Professions Act, 56 of 1974 by providing healthcare services without being registered with the HPCSA. The investigation also revealed that Ms Buthelezi had been advertising services as a legitimate medical practitioner on various popular social media sites. Upon arrest, she was detained at Durban Central SAPS, denied bail by the magistrate court, and is expected to make another court appearance soon,” read the statement.
Then, in a separate incident in Sydenham, Durban, authorities discovered Dr Poto Dambo Parfait allegedly practising while not registered with the Council as a medical practitioner.
“He was arrested for illegal medical practice and detained at the Sydenham SAPS. During his initial court appearance, he was denied bail and is scheduled to appear in court again at a later stage,” read the statement.
The arrests come as the HPCSA is intensifying its efforts to combat bogus and unregistered practitioners.
“This is evident in a significant increase in the number of arrests by the Inspectorate Office. This surge in arrests is a reflection of Council’s commitment of eliminating bogus practitioners who pose a serious risk to public health and safety,” read the statement.
The HPCSA, during the 2023/24 financial year, has arrested 24 illegal medical practitioners nationwide; and a further ten arrests since April.