A Cuban national, operating under an alias, allegedly practised at a Pietermartizburg hospital under the credentials of a registered practitioner, reports Sunday Tribune.
The Pietermaritzburg-based doctor, Navind Dayanand, is expected to appear before the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) on two charges in Durban. Brendan Pillay, previously employed by Dayanand as an accountant at the Daymed Private Hospital, reported him to the regulatory body. Pillay alleged that he had a consultation with a doctor at the hospital and was prescribed scheduled medication, only to discover that the doctor, a Cuban national, was not registered to practise in South Africa . "
He issued a prescription for scheduled medication and a sick note all under the credentials of Dr Navind Dayanand. What made me feel that he is not a doctor was that he was unable to give me a proper diagnosis," said Pillay. The first charge pertains to this doctor, Juan Luis Elutil Yings, who used the name Dr Omar as an alias. According to the charge sheet, it’s alleged that Dayanand had knowingly allowed Yings, who was not a registered doctor, to treat, manage, prescribe medication and issue medical certificates to patients between 2003 and 2018.
In an affidavit Yings said he arrived in South Africa in 1998 and started working at the private hospital in 2003, notes the Sunday Tribune report. When he met Dayanand, he told him that he had qualified as a medical doctor in Cuba but had since been ‘erased’ by the HPCSA. Yings stated in the affidavit that Dayanand said he could still employ him as a medical doctor at Daymed Private Hospital. He said they agreed on a starting salary of R3,000 which increased to R17,000 over the years. "The money goes into an account under the name of Dr Omar, which is the current name I am using. Dr Dayanand is fully aware of this," wrote Yings in the affidavit. Dayanand’s advocate Shameela Jasat said all the claims against her client were ‘without merit’. "Dr Dayanand will not be afforded a fair and proper hearing, his constitutional rights have been infringed," said Jasat. She also accused the HPCSA of failing to adhere to its own standards. She said when the charge sheet against Dayanand first surfaced on social media in September, it was brought to the council’s attention but it had failed to act.
[link url="https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/pietermaritzburg-doctor-accused-of-dodgy-dealings-38863394"]Sunday Tribune report[/link]