The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) says it does not regulate how doctors dress or their lifestyle, after backlash on Twitter over Newcastle’s popular medical officer Dr Sandile Qwabe’s TikTok videos and pictures.
HPCSA’s spokesperson Christopher Tsatsawane told TimesLIVE the council had received no complaints about Qwabe, who has been trending on TikTok and Twitter with his township-style dress code and cheerful attitude.
“The HPCSA does not regulate how its registered practitioners dress or their lifestyle. We only regulate their work-related code of conduct with the sole purpose of guiding the profession to protect the public,” Tsatsawane said.
Qwabe, whose videos and pictures first became popular on TikTok, landed on Twitter over the weekend and became judged by tweeps while seen smoking and dancing at work.
While some tweeps labelled him “a pantsula doctor” because of his dress code, others questioned his medical qualifications and revealed they had “reported” his social media videos and pictures to the HPCSA.
However, the council said it was rare for people to complain about a doctor’s style of dress and that one of the objects of the board is to “maintain and enhance the dignity of the relevant health profession and the integrity of the persons practising such profession”.
There were unproven rumours that even the Department of Health had written to Qwabe after complaints about his outfits.
IOL reports that lambasting of Qwabe has again revealed the toxicity of social media, particularly Twitter, which seems to lead the cancel culture on social media.
“I still do not understand why he is being reported because he did nothing offensive or wrong," another Twitter user said.
TimesLIVE article – We don't regulate doctors' dress code': HPCSA on Dr Qwabe backlash (Open access)
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