The Rajbansi family will be looking for justice this week, when the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) reviews their official complaint against the doctors who were treating their father.
Last week, Rajbansi’s wife, Shameen claimed that doctors had fitted her husband with a medical device he did not need, and that the procedure caused his condition to deteriorate severely, ultimately costing him his life.
According to Rajbansi's daughter, Vimlesh, a detailed complaint asking the HPCSA to investigate alleged unethical conduct on the part of her father's doctors was submitted earlier this week.
She said that some of the issues raised in the complaint included an investigation into why her father was fitted with a pacemaker when he did not need one, the unprofessional conduct of doctors treating her father when it came to communicating his condition to them, and why a second opinion on his condition was stalled.
“These are just some of the issues we have raised in our complaint. We have also made some recommendations that the council can consider should the doctors be found guilty, but that decision ultimately lies with the HSPCA,” said Vimlesh.
She added that one of the recommendations she put to the HSPCA is that if found guilty, the doctors should be suspended for a period of 15 years.
“We also proposed that if they are found guilty, they should pay a fine equal to the amount of the total earnings they made from my father’s stay in hospital to a cardiac charity, and that their names are removed from the relevant registers,” she said.
Kgosi Letlape, CEO of the HSPCA, confirmed they had received Rajbansi's complaint and said that a process would now have to be followed before any action is taken.
“Within seven days of receiving the complaint, the registrar will forward the complaint to the healthcare professional concerned and request a written explanation from him/her.
The complaint, together with the healthcare professional's explanation, will then be referred to the Professional Board concerned for consideration.
“Should the board decide that there are grounds for complaint, a Professional Conduct Committee will hold a professional conduct enquiry, during which oral evidence is presented, often including independent, expert witnesses,” said Letlape. - POST