Tuesday, 19 March, 2024
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Woman who posed for 2 years as medical intern sent for mental evaluation

A 23-year-old KwaZulu-Natal woman, Nokwanda Ndlovu, has been sent to Fort Napier Hospital for mental evaluation by Nkandla Regional Court Magistrate Morne Swanepoel. Ndlovu, who was represented by a legal aid lawyer, made a short appearance in court on a fraud charge for allegedly posing as a medical intern at a hospital in Nkandla, notes a TimesLIVE report.

The court heard from a report compiled by a psychiatric specialist that Ndlovu had no signs of psychosis. However, the psychiatrist was unable to make a conclusive determination on her mental state as she failed to appear for a second session.

“Based on my initial assessment there were no obvious signs of psychosis. I was not able to carry out the second examination since the accused did not arrive for the second appointment. I was not able to determine if there was any personality disorder. I recommend that Miss Ndlovu be referred to Fort Napier hospital for further observation and psychological testing,” the report concluded.

Ndlovu, a high school dropout, is facing criminal charges for posing as a medical intern after convincing five KZN hospitals and clinics she was a medical student from University of Witwatersrand. She spent at least two years at various public health facilities. Ndlovu is out on R1,000 bail. The case is expected back in court in September.

 

[link url="https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-07-27-mental-evaluation-for-kzn-woman-who-posed-as-a-medical-intern/"]Full report in The Times[/link]

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