'Doctor' an ambulance assistant

The Health Professions' Council of SA was unable to close down a bogus doctor's practice yesterday, 17 October, because the police failed to cooperate.

18 Oct 2012

The council wanted Thuli Nhlapho charged for impersonating a doctor and running an unaccredited training centre but the police did not show up to arrest her.

The council had opened a case against Nhlapho at the Durban Central Police station and planned to raid her Salisbury Arcade premises with the police yesterday.

But only four council officials arrived at the Sgegede First Aid Training & Services offices. She refused to meet them.

"Our hands are tied. Arresting her is beyond our scope," council spokesman Bertha Peters-Scheepers, said.

The council discovered that Nhlapho, an ambulance assistant, was practising as a doctor when she inquired about courses. She produced a business card on which she referred to herself as Dr Thuli Nhlapho. Framed certificates in her rooms bear the same title.

An impromptu inspection at her premises showed that she was illegally performing procedures such as medical scans, running a drug rehabilitation programme and training emergency workers.

Raveen Naidoo, chairman of the Professional Board for Emergency Care, a co-ordinating body of the Health Professions Council, said: "A basic ambulance assistant has a four-week qualification that allows her to perform only basic CPR [resuscitation] and check for vital signs. What she is doing is illegal and out of her scope as an assistant."

All the council could do was institute disciplinary action against Nhlapho.

"We rely on the police to pursue this matter urgently," Naidoo said.

KwaZulu-Natal police media centre said it was waiting for a response from Durban Central police.

Source: The Times

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