Durban - The specialist cardiologist who treated Minority Front leader Amichand Rajbansi before his death in December 2011 has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Now Dr Trishun (YT) Singh plans to sue Rajbansi’s daughter Vimlesh, who had laid a complaint against him and his medical practice with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) in February 2012.
The council has found that no evidence of unprofessional conduct could be established against Singh.
Vimlesh had told the Daily News after Rajbansi’s death that Singh did not want to hand over her father’s medical files.
Concerns had also been raised that Rajbansi was fitted with a pacemaker on the advice of his cardiologist – which he may not have needed.
She said at the time that their family “would not rest until the truth was revealed about what caused her father’s death”.
The medical files had been handed over to Vimlesh’s lawyer, Sundeep Singh, in February 2012.
In March 2012, Singh denied that he or his partners had acted unprofessionally. He also rebutted the accusation that Rajbansi did not need the pacemaker.
He had said that Rajbansi’s wife, Shameen, had been present at the consultations with a world expert from Israel, when the decision was taken to fit Rajbansi with a biventricular pacemaker with an implantable cardiac defibrillator.
But Shameen had denied she had been involved in the decision to fit her husband with the device.
“The final decision rested with YT Singh and his partners,” she said at the time.
Singh had said they were willing to go to court to clear their names and reputation.
Yesterday, Singh told the Daily News he planned to sue Vimlesh for defamation.
“We were just waiting for the HPCSA decision before we went ahead.
“Now that it has come I have briefed my lawyers to engage legal counsel to move ahead.”
Singh, who had treated Rajbansi for 17 years, said he was “terribly hurt” by the accusations made against him.
“Rajbansi had developed his heart condition in 1987 and I only began seeing him in 1997. He was not a well man, but I was able to keep him alive for all those years,” he said.
“There was a tremendous amount of respect between us and he would often call me at all times of the day for medical advice.
“In all the years I treated him, not once did Vimlesh accompany him to my rooms.
“I was terribly hurt by what happened and I can assure you that he would have not approved of it all.”
An HPCSA letter sent to Singh’s medical practice by their law firm, Mac Robert Attorneys, said Vimlesh’s complaint was heard by the Third Medical Committee of Preliminary Inquiry on June 5 and 6.
The committee noted the explanation provided by Singh and his partners, Dr CA Barnabas and Dr D Pretorius, and “that no further action be taken on the basis that no evidence of unprofessional conduct could be established”.
By time of publication Vimlesh had not returned repeated calls or text messages sent to her by the Daily News seeking comment.
Shameen Thakur Rajbansi and Vimlesh’s lawyer could also not be reached for comment.
Attorney Singh was struck off the roll of attorneys, for the second time in his career, two months ago for allegedly misappropriating a R900 000 Road Accident Fund payout.
Daily News