Health minister says Mpumalanga doctors’ actions a ‘criminal act’

Two doctors at Mpumalanga’s Evander District Hospital have a “tendency to disregard clinical instructions”‚ a national health department statement said on Monday.

This emerged when health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi convened a meeting at the Mpumalanga facility as part of an investigation into the conduct of two doctors charged with misconduct for alleged malpractice and negligence.

But Motsoaledi “believes that their actions do not only constitute negligence or malpractice but a criminal act that needs thorough investigation”.

“There must be consequences‚ that’s the reason we also opened a criminal case with the South African Police Services‚” said Motsoaledi.

According to the department’s statement‚ “preliminary clinical investigations reveal that the pair acted outside the rule by not adhering to prescribed clinical guidelines when attending to the teen pregnant mother”.

Both doctors have been suspended and the matter has been referred to the Health Professions Council of South Africa.