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3 months ago
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A woman pretending to be a doctor has been arrested at Tembisa Hospital. (Papi Morake/Gallo Images)
- A woman has been arrested for allegedly impersonating a doctor.
- She was apprehended at a Tembisa hospital on Tuesday.
- The provincial health department said the hospital will investigate how she gained access.
A "bogus doctor" has been apprehended at Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital.
The Gauteng Department of Health said the woman was arrested for "posing as a doctor" on Tuesday night.
"The bogus doctor was handed over to the police and spent a night in custody. The facility management has since opened a case at Rabasotho Police Station and the suspect is due to appear in court soon," said department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba.
"Unqualified individuals posing as medical professionals put innocent lives at risk."
Modiba added that it is a criminal offence for any person to impersonate healthcare professionals and to practice while not registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa.
READ | Matthew Lani: Gauteng health dept looks to take legal action against self-confessed imposter
He added that the incident is under investigation by both the facility management and the police "to establish circumstances under which the bogus doctor gained access to the hospital".
Modiba said:
The department is continuously strengthening measures at facilities to safeguard the wellbeing of patients and staff. Our employees and the public are urged to be vigilant against imposters who seek to undermine the work of healthcare professionals.
Last year, the department opened a criminal case against a Gauteng TikTokker known to his followers as Dr Matthew Lani, claiming he had been impersonating a medical doctor.
The department said Lani had stolen the identity of a second-year medical intern at Tembisa Tertiary Hospital, Dr Sanele Sobani Vambani Zingelwa.
His arrest came after security guards caught him walking around the wards at Helen Joseph Hospital.
The 27-year-old, who amassed a considerable social media following posing as a doctor, was later released from police custody when the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) decided there was insufficient evidence to charge him.
Lani styled his online persona around his work as a medical doctor, posting images and videos of himself in scrubs, with a stethoscope around his neck, sauntering around hospital wards and showing off a hospital name badge.
