Hawks swoop on two 'bogus' Eastern Cape doctors

Two Eastern Cape doctors were arrested by the Hawks and police for allegedly practicing medicine without valid licences or the necessary qualifications.

The two were arrested in an operation in Butterworth, where they are accused of running an illegal medical practice.

Police seized medication and used syringes at the surgery for further investigation, and the search continued at the East London home of the two accused.

The pair is set to appear before the Butterworth magistrate's court on Thursday to face charges of violating the Health Professions Act and other related medical acts, fraud, forgery and money laundering.

The takedown operation was led by the Hawk’s Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team, assisted by Butterworth crime intelligence, the police forensic sciences laboratory and the Health Professions Council of SA.

It is alleged the suspects started operating the surgery in January 2019 at Bongalo Mall in Butterworth.

Their patients were mostly pensioners around Butterworth, Dutywa, Ngqamakwe, Willowvale and Centane.

The pair allegedly also issued fake sick certificates and dispensed medication to patients without the necessary qualifications and licence.

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