A plastic and reconstruction surgeon has been removed from the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) register after he was found guilty of unprofessional conduct following cosmetic procedures to 14 patients, reports News24.
Dr Luke Gordon was charged before the HPCSA's Professional Conduct Committee on numerous charges which related to negligent performance of cosmetic procedures to 14 patients. The HPCSA removed the doctor from the register in terms of Section 42 (1) (c) of the Health Professions Act on Saturday.
According to the report, Priscilla Sekhonyana, HPCSA's corporate affairs acting head of division said the hearing involved 14 "factual" witnesses and six expert witnesses who testified against Gordon. Gordon, who was the respondent in the matter, was found guilty of unprofessional conduct on nine counts and not guilty in respect of five of them.
MedicalBrief reported in January 2016 that the HPCSA hearing into Gordon, who was facing 13 charges relating to unprofessional conduct emanating from cases in which he was allegedly negligent or incompetent, resumed after a six-month postponement that was granted despite a finding that this “reeked” of delaying tactics.
Gordon, dubbed by the media as the “Butcher of Benoni” was in 2014 ordered by the HPCSA to stop practising immediately, when he refused to attend a 2014 earlier hearing. Some of the allegations date back to 2000. Gordon has since quit practising.
It was reported in The Star in July, 2015 that Gordon’s application to postpone an inquiry into his professional conduct may “reek of delay tactics”, but it was granted. This was the finding by the HPCSA, the committee presiding over Gordon’s formal inquiry, when it postponed the matter to October (2015).
The HPCSA said it wanted to allow his lawyer time to consult a plastic surgery expert and prepare his defence.
[link url="https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/hpcsa-de-registers-plastic-surgeon-found-guilty-of-unprofessional-conduct-20200721"]Full News24 report[/link]
[link url="https://www.hpcsa.co.za/Uploads/Publications%202020/Press%20Release/HPCSA_practitioner_erased_from_the_register.pdf"]HPCSA material[/link]
[link url="https://www.medicalbrief.co.za/archives/butcher-of-benoni-plastic-surgeons-hpcsa-hearing-resumes/"]Full MedicalBrief report[/link]
See also
[link url="https://www.medicalbrief.co.za/archives/butcher-surgeon-application-reeks-of-delaying-tactics/"]‘Butcher’ surgeon application ‘reeks’ of delaying tactics[/link]
[link url="https://www.medicalbrief.co.za/archives/butcher-surgeon-stopped-from-practising/"]‘Butcher’ surgeon stopped from practising[/link]