Pretoria – Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi held a meeting at the Evander District Hospital near Secunda, Mpumalanga on Monday following allegations of malpractice and negligence against two of the hospital’s doctors.
The Department of Health said this was part of the overall investigation into the conduct of two doctors charged with misconduct last week.
The hospital laid murder charges against them following the death of a teen mother after a caesarean operation. Preliminary clinical investigations have revealed that the pair did not adhere to prescribed clinical guidelines when attending to the pregnant teen mother.
The Minister regards the conduct of these two doctors as serious and believes that their actions do not only constitute negligence or malpractice but a criminal act that needs thorough investigation, said the department.
“There must be consequences. That's the reason we also opened a criminal case with the South African Police Services,” said Minister Motsoaledi.
During the Minister's visit to the Mpumalanga hospital, the department said it was established that the two doctors have a "tendency to disregard clinical instructions".
The two doctors have been suspended for misconduct with immediate effect pending the outcome of both clinical and criminal investigations. The matter is also referred to the Health Professions Council of South Africa for investigation into the ethical conduct of the pair. – SAnews.gov.za
