Fake and unregistered doctors in South Africa are becoming harder to identify, according to the South African Medical Association (SAMA), which told The Citizen the methods used by these fraudulent practitioners have become increasingly sophisticated.
These conmen may present forged qualifications, falsified registration documents, or assume the identities of legitimate practitioners, and where verification processes are inadequate or inconsistently applied, they can “evade detection for extended periods”.
“Additionally, many patients do not routinely verify a practitioner’s credentials before seeking treatment, often relying on appearances, recommendations, or the setting in which services are offered,” SAMA warned.
“Detection frequently occurs only when concerns are raised by colleagues, patients, employers, regulatory authorities, or through routine audits and investigations… continuous monitoring is essential.”
Strengthening verification
Statistics show between March 2024 and December 2025, more than 50 bogus practitioners were arrested.
In responding to the non-profit VP Justice Foundation’s accusation that health authorities are failing in their duties to prevent these bogus doctors from practising, the Health Professions Council of South Africa conceded that the weaknesses in the verification process contributed to raising the numbers.
Visham Panday, a founder of VP Justice Foundation, said the concern was that many innocent people could be injured by the time the criminals were arrested.
He and his organisation have been spearheading a campaign forcing law enforcement agencies to arrest bogus doctors.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
HPCSA: Medics fined, suspended, and bogus doctors arrested
Bogus doctors nabbed for selling fraudulent certificates