A Johannesburg doctor was found guilty last week by the Health Professions Council of South Africa of unprofessional conduct and incompetence, after botching the hysterectomy of well-known publicist Hlengiwe Mbambo.
The doctor was fined R30 000, plus a further R15 000 for using an unregistered assistant, and an additional R20 000 for putting Mbambo’s life in danger after an incomplete consent process.
The HPCSA document stated that she had not been adequately informed of the risks involved in her surgery, which took place at a Johannesburg hospital in December 2022, reports News24.
A computed tomography scan showed that when the doctor stitched up Mbambo’s bladder after the operation, he failed to attach her ureters. Her left kidney was also affected.
This drastically affected Mbambo’s life, and she was not only unable to urinate normally but was also in considerable pain. She later found out that the doctor had used an unregistered assistant during the surgery.
The HPCSA’s verdict read: “The extent of the injuries and the morbidity associated with them are the reasons a maximum fine has been imposed.”
In the case of the unregistered assistant, the HPCSA has been unable to trace him, and the hospital could be in trouble for permitting an unregistered doctor to work there.
Mbambo said she wanted the hospital to fire the doctor. “He shouldn’t be able to touch anybody else. We want it to audit every single doctor in there… it can’t tell us it didn’t know about the assistant doctor.
“We want them to take responsibility and I’d like a public apology.”
Previously, the hospital had said the surgeon was a gynaecologist in private practice and not employed by the hospital, and that it had escalated the matter to its head office – but that the doctor “practised for his own account”. It said it was the surgeon’s responsibility to ensure everything was above board.
After the surgery, there had been a plan to remove Mbambo’s malfunctioning left kidney but the operation has still not taken place, as her doctor had advised her to wait, she said.
Police spokesperson Mavela Masondo confirmed a case of attempted murder and impersonating a medical practitioner had been opened.
News24 article – Hlengiwe Mbambo celebrates verdict in botched surgery case (Restricted access)
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