Chronicle Editor
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
AUTHORITIES at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo have uncovered shocking details in the case of the fake doctor who was arrested last week at the institution, with internal investigations revealing that he operated undetected from an office within the hospital’s premises for approximately two years.
Investigations reveal that Taurayi Prosper Vanhuvaone, who had been duping unsuspecting individuals using the name, Dr Prosper Mpofu — allegedly spread his operations to the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH), where he similarly deceived patients and staff, raising concerns about the extent of his fraudulent activities and potential harm to patients.
Police in Bulawayo last Tuesday arrested “Dr Mpofu” at Mpilo Central Hospital after an alert nurse noticed an anomaly with a patient’s prescription and alerted police on the ground leading to his arrest.
In an interview recently week, Mpilo Hospital chief medical officer, Dr Narcisius Dzvanga said it was shocking how Vanhuvaone managed to get himself an office, where he operated from at the hospital.
“He was using a room (to consult), the same room for all those months or years he was here and someone gave him a desk and a chair to use. He was taking patients from the queue at the out-patient department then he charged them and pocketed the money.
“When he was caught, one of his clients was short of US$12 and he was demanding the money. The poor woman was running around begging for US$12, if he had not been greedy and accepted the money, US$12 less maybe he would still be seeing patients,” said Dr Dzanga.
He said as an institution they regretted the incident noting that it put the lives of patients at risk and the reputation of the institution at stake.
“What has come to the fore is that he has been around for quite a while, but mark my words, I am also a practicing physician, I have not seen him anywhere before in the corridors, maybe he knew how to avoid me. I have been here for one-and-a-half years and I never saw him. I hear he has been around the hospital for two years.
“I am told that even at UBH, he would pitch up and say he is in the Mpilo establishment and has been seconded to UBH for three months so they would tolerate him. When they are about to catch him, he says he is in the UBH establishment and is being seconded to Mpilo Hospital, UBH doctors come to Mpilo and vice versa. He got to know that we operate like that and he just joined in and started doing his things. We have very little information that he once pretended to be a medical student and also had a case of assault at some stage,” said Dr Dzvanga.
UBH Chief Medical Officer Dr William Busumani, however, said they had not come across the fake doctor.
Asked on measures taken by Mpilo Hospital to identify their staff, Dr Dzvanga said they had several security protocols in place, but they were being copied by unscrupulous individuals like Vanhuvaone.
“We have tried to introduce identity cards for employees but the moment when they know where they are being produced, they also get their own IDs. I was telling another consultant saying very soon we will be asking people to come with their pay slips as that will be the only proof that this person is ours.
“If you cannot produce a pay slip then you cannot be one of us. If we say doctors should wear white laboratory coats, stethoscopes, bogus doctors also buy their own. If we say they must have name tags, they also get their own,” said Dr Dzvanga.
“It is now very difficult to tell who is a doctor and who is a fake doctor. They are just like anybody else and in Zimbabwe we are on number 43 or 45 of fake doctors across the country. Whether they are there to solicit money from patients or they are psychiatric cases, we still have to analyse to find out their motive.”
Dr Dzvanga revealed that the hospital is still exploring on how best to contain the situation moving forward and is also calling on the public to also help in coming up with measures to curb the problem, by being whistle blowers.
“Gone are the days when doctors were few and they knew each other, when consultants knew all their juniors, now there are many doctors,” he said.
He further said patients must not be gullible to end up being swindled by fake doctors, adding that there were bold notices at hospitals’ administration entrance stating that patients must get receipts for any transactions they make at authorised payment points, but some patients neglect that and are cheated by imposters.
Vanhuvaone appeared at the Bulawayo Magistrates Court on Friday facing two counts of fraud and one of misrepresentation.
The 29-year-old, who is representing himself, appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Nomagugu Maphosa who remanded him in custody to tomorrow for bail ruling.–@NyembeziMu
Bongani Ndlovu