Africa-Press – South-Africa. The public fall of fake doctor Matthew Lani has exposed the risk he and other bogus health professionals pose to the public, the SA Medical Association (SAMA) has said.
In a statement, SAMA said Lani’s outing on social media had “brought to light the alarming prevalence of individuals falsely representing themselves as qualified medical professionals, endangering the wellbeing of unsuspecting patients”.
Lani developed a staggering following on social media platforms, claiming to be a doctor employed by the Gauteng Department of Health.
However, the department has registered a criminal case of impersonating a doctor and the matter is now with the police to probe.
Lani’s supposed alma mater, the University of the Witwatersrand, disavowed him and insisted that he did not graduate from the institution.
The SAMA statement read:
“This practice undermines the trust and integrity of the healthcare system, in addition to jeopardising the health of those who seek care. They [fake health professionals] operate without the necessary qualifications, registrations and ethical standards, potentially causing harm through misdiagnosis, inappropriate treatments, and unregulated procedures.”
“SAMA calls upon the public to be vigilant and cautious when seeking medical advice or treatment, and to verify a medical doctor’s credentials by searching for the doctor in the HPCSA iRegister on the HPCSA website.”
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