Doctors under probe

procedures or in diagnosis resulting in wrong prescriptions that pose dangers to health.
Some of the mistakes have claimed lives and some have resulted in patients succumbing to permanent illnesses and yet they have gone unreported.
MDPCZ registrar Mrs Josephine Mwakutuya confirmed that scores of cases that have been investigated by the council related to patient care and those doctors found guilty had been suspended or de-registered among other punitive measures enforced by the council.
“Be advised that the scores of cases that have been investigated and are being referred to are cases of unprofessional misconduct, incompetence or unethical conduct, as they relate to patient care,” she said.
Although Mrs Mwakutuya could not provide the names of the affected doctors, she said some of them had been de-registered or were still serving their suspensions. “Council receives approximately 12 complaints per quarter and holds approximately four disciplinary hearings per quarter. Unfortunately it is not possible to give you a cumulative figure since 2009 . . . but the penalties imposed when found guilty at disciplinary hearings depend on the seriousness of the offence,” she said.
She said penalties imposed ranged from suspension, deregistration, enforced training and/or monetary fines, among others.
Investigations have revealed that several patients have complained of failure by doctors breaching patient’s confidentiality, fraud or dishonesty such as double claiming funds from medical aid societies hence prejudicing patients.
Other patients have also accused doctors of failure to examine a patient properly or to respond reasonably to a patient’s needs.