/ 4 August 2005

Pretoria surgeon’s conduct judged unprofessional

A Pretoria cosmetic surgeon has been found guilty of unprofessional conduct for performing unnecessary surgery on a patient and leaving her scarred, the Health Professions Council of South Africa said on Thursday.

The complaint related to a cosmetic eye operation Jacobus Francois Scholtz performed on a woman, and another four years later. The woman suffered damage to an eye and a scarred cheek, the council said in a statement.

He was found guilty of having failed to inform the patient of the possible complications associated with the procedure.

The hearing last weekend also found Scholtz guilty of misrepresentation, and failing to attend to the patient’s complaints after the operation.

He was barred from practising for 12 months, but the penalty was suspended for six years on condition that he is not found guilty of a similar act.

The doctor is to be the subject of further hearings, the statement said. He faces another 61 complaints, mostly related to operations.

”The council has prioritised his cases, which will be finalised during the course of the year.” — Sapa