Johannesburg - Benoni plastic surgeon Dr Luke Gordon’s application to postpone an inquiry into his professional conduct may “reek of delay tactics”, but it was granted.
This was the finding by the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA), the committee presiding over Gordon’s formal inquiry, when it postponed the matter to October.
The HPCSA said it wanted to allow his lawyer time to consult a plastic surgery expert and prepare his defence.
This is despite Thabang Baloyi, the lawyer representing the 13 complainants who alleged Gordon botched their surgeries, having presented heads of argument against the postponement.
Baloyi had argued that Gordon had known the charges he faced since March, which had given him sufficient time to prepare.
In a preliminary inquiry last year, an ad hoc HPCSA committee found evidence Gordon had physically and mentally abused his patients and injured them through unsafe and unprofessional practices.
The HPCSA had been criticised in the past for allowing Gordon to continue practising despite the complaints against him, some of which dated from 2000.
In the past few years, Gordon has paid more than R4.5 million to clients for botched operations, and last year the HPCSA suspended him from operating.
On Wednesday, his lawyer, Shadrich Mothibe said there was one expert who had compiled a report on the matter, and a counter-view was needed to balance the issues.
“You (committee) are looking at the effects on the applicant’s (Gordon) basic life and livelihood and also seeking redress of the complainants…I must concede that the complainants seek closure.
“They see an injustice. Unfortunately in this case, the issues involved are seriously loaded,” he said.
The committee’s chairwoman, advocate Joan Adams, said: “This committee is not happy with how the respondent (Gordon) has conducted himself to date, and this (application) reeks of delay tactics, but looking at the facts, the committee will bend over once to give council an opportunity to consult an expert.”
The Star