After protesting his innocence since 2017, Dr Jacques de Vos can finally complete his community service and practise medicine, after the lifting of his Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) suspension.
Five years ago, in 2017, De Vos was barred from medicine while doing an internship at the 2 Military Hospital where allegedly he told a pregnant woman who wanted to terminate her pregnancy that it was akin to the “killing of a human being”.
IOL reports that the HPCSA had charged him with professional misconduct; for disrespecting the dignity of the patient, and using emotive language to convey his beliefs.
However in 2020, the HPCSA dropped the charges after the complainant said she no longer wanted to proceed with the matter. Yet, as reported in MedicalBrief on 9 February 2022, despite that, the HPCSA wouldn’t issue him with a Medical Practitioner number, and De Vos was forced to ask the High Court to compel the HPCSA to hold a disciplinary hearing into his actions, in efforts for them to sign off the case.
At the time, his lawyer Martus de Wet said that despite De Vos pleading not guilty to the charges more than two years ago, a hearing had yet to be held to completion. “De Vos seeks a mandatory order directing the respondents to take all steps necessary and do all things required to reconvene the aforesaid Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) and to set a date for the continuation of the inquiry and hearing, which has commenced against him.”
Of the lifting of the suspension, De Wet said: “He is relieved, very happy. A huge part of his life has been wasted; he is in a wheelchair, severely disabled. It was very frustrating.”
IOL article – Anti-abortion doctor Jacques de Vos suspension lifted (Open access)
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Anti-abortion doctor asks High Court to order HPCSA to hold his disciplinary hearing
Anti-abortion doctor's hearing adjourned as committee ponders charges
HPCSA fails to meet the document deadline in De Vos case