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The Hawks have arrested a 19-year-old woman who was applying for a cardiologist position at Limpopo’s Polokwane Hospital.
The woman was arrested while waiting to be interviewed for the specialist position, which would have seen her handle medical cases relating to hearts.
The Hawks said it was also discovered that the woman, who used a fake American cardiologist certificate to apply for the position, did not even have a matric certificate. The position requires candidates to have completed a three-year specialisation course in cardiology on top of their physician qualification.
Limpopo health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba said the woman was taking advantage of the province’s “dire need for specialist doctors”.
Ramathuba attributed the arrest to effective internal vetting process aimed not only at flushing out bogus doctors who were already employed but from preventing more from getting into the public health system.
“We have cases where doctors have just vanished into the thin air after we asked them for their papers as part of our annual vetting system. They disappeared leaving behind their pensions – which is a sign that our new internal controls are working and more lives are being saved by getting rid of fake medical officers,” she said.
“Previously people could just apply directly and be employed by hospitals but now we have centralised appointments. I believe [the 19-year-old] could have easily entered our system in the absence of our system – which leaves no space for exploitation by chancers.”
Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the woman was shortlisted after applying for the cardiologist job.
“They were suspicious of her qualifications and the matter was handed to us.
“Our investigation revealed that her qualifications were fake. Prior to her shortlisting for the post at the Polokwane Hospital she had already been introduced to the staff at the [local] Netcare hospital, where she was supposed to start her job as a cardiologist,” Netshiunda said.
“While she was sitting at the department of health offices in Polokwane waiting for her turn to be interviewed for the position, the teenager got more than what she bargained for when the Hawks pounced on her.”
Ramathuba said cases like this were “driving up mortality rate high” in the public health system.
“We’re dealing with people’s lives here and when you employ somebody who is not a cardiologist to do that job, where does it put us?
“We can’t allow it to happen so we’re now ensuring that everyone from a nurse, pharmacist to a doctor is duly qualified,” Ramathuba said.
She warned any “doctors” with fake qualifications who could still be working for her department to “run away as we’re coming for them ... Limpopo can’t be a playground for anyone who wakes up in the morning and decides to get a fake qualification and come try their luck here”.
