Danisa Masuku
A 29-YEAR-OLD Bulawayo man who masqueraded as a doctor at Mpilo Central Hospital has been branded a “very dangerous man” and a “liar” by the High Court after his appeal was dismissed.
Taurai Prosper Vanhuvaone, who used the alias Prosper Mpofu, was convicted of fraud, impersonating a medical professional and unlawfully prescribing medication.
He was sentenced to seven years in prison, with three years suspended on condition that he pays restitution to his victims.
His appeal against conviction was dismissed on Thursday by Bulawayo High Court judges Justice Munamato Mutevedzi and Justice Bongani Ndlovu.
Vanhuvaone was represented by Tinashe Runganga of Tanaka Law Chambers.
Justice Mutevedzi tore into the fake doctor’s claims that he had obtained medical qualifications from a university called Medusa.
“I thoroughly looked for that university and I could not find it and that shows he is a liar. I have never heard of that university. The prosecutors were very lenient with the offender. He was a lucky man. What he did is no different from practising law without qualification, duping desperate people in need of services,” Justice Mutevedzi said.
The judge said Vanhuvaone’s conduct was a serious danger to society, particularly because he had allegedly been treating patients and prescribing medication for years.
“One of the grounds of appeal is that you want the offender to have the sentences to be served concurrently. There is no law stipulating such, that was a discretion of the court, and you don’t appeal against a discretion. These offenses were not concurrently, they were committed over years.”
Justice Mutevedzi said Vanhuvaone was lucky to have received the sentence he did.
“He was lucky to get only three years. He had been going to that hospital for years, treating patients and prescribing medication. Imagine if it was you, going to the hospital and getting treated by somebody who may not even have Ordinary level,” he said.
The judge said the court had gone through the record repeatedly and found that Vanhuvaone had admitted that he had no medical qualifications.
“We read and re-read that case record, the offender admitted to the court that he had no qualifications. He tried to lie to the court that he was a student at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST).”
A NUST witness, however, disputed the claim in court.
“If he hadn’t been caught how many more people would have fallen to his trickery?” Justice Mutevedzi asked.
The court heard that Vanhuvaone also fleeced a nurse-aid student of US$1,600 after promising to facilitate her attachment at Mpilo Hospital.
In another case, he issued a bizarre prescription containing instructions involving “lacto and fruits including apples and grapes”.
The prescription raised the suspicions of doctors at Mpilo, leading to his exposure.
The court ruled that his actions not only amounted to criminal conduct but also endangered lives and tarnished the image of the hospital.
Vanhuvaone is no stranger to the courts.
In 2022, using the same alias, he appeared in court facing assault charges, where he falsely claimed to be a fifth-year medical student.
