Basson battles on

Dr Wouter Basson is facing disciplinary hearing at the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

Dr Wouter Basson is facing disciplinary hearing at the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

Published Sep 30, 2011

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Cardiologist Dr Wouter Basson, who in the 1980s headed South Africa's chemical and biological warfare programme, is seeking a discharge on four counts of unprofessional conduct before the Health Professions Council of SA.

His hearing before the HPCSA's professional conduct committee in Pretoria was postponed to January 26 on Friday for legal argument on the discharge application.

Should the application fail, the hearing will resume in March for his evidence and the evidence of his own experts.

Jaap Cilliers, SC, for Basson, put it to medical ethics expert Steven Miles on Friday that Basson would deny at any stage conducting himself either unethically or unprofessionally.

He said it was Basson's case that he had received instructions for his participation in the programme from General Ernst Nieuwoudt (at that stage the Surgeon General), who was a member of the medical council.

Basson perceived this to be participation on the basis that it was part of a defensive and not an offensive programme, he said.

Cilliers said Basson would argue that his participation with research and development was largely to provide guidelines, while experts at the research facility Delta G proceeded to do some of the research and development.

Miles has maintained that Basson acted unethically while heading the programme by becoming involved in the development and deployment of toxic weapons.

This had endangered human lives in violation of his ethical obligation to preserve life, Miles said.

He said Basson unethically used his medical background and knowledge when he participated in the large scale manufacturing of teargas and drugs such as ecstasy and Mandrax; armed mortars with teargas; provided drugs for cross border kidnappings and provided operatives with cyanide for suicide purposes.

Miles conceded there were no South African medical board guidelines or rules about participation in such projects at the time, but said international and local ethical standards were applicable.

He said that even if the rules which followed in later years allowed participation in such projects, the physician involved would still have to follow international ethical guidelines.

A distinction could be drawn between the use of, for example, teargas by the police for riot control and its military use (such as in Basson's case) where materials were used to break up a defensive position of the other side and did not result in a reduction in casualties.

Miles said he had tried to be “scrupulously fair” in his discussion as an international expert, but said it was still up to the council as a South African body to decide if Basson's conduct had been unprofessional.

Basson told reporters on Thursday he was optimistic that he would be allowed to continue with his cardiology practice because he knew he had not done anything unethical or unprofessional.

He said he was confident that a panel of his peers would come to the same conclusion if they analysed what he did.

Basson described the hearing as a “strain”, but said this was something he had become used to over the years.

“I am satisfied that he (Miles) made the concessions we wanted him to make,” he said. - Sapa

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