A woman – an alleged bogus doctor – has been arrested at Life St Dominic’s Private Hospital in East London.
The woman, Zimkita Tom, 27, is alleged to have posed for a yet unknown number of days as a doctor – apparently with a stethoscope around her neck and walking the hospital’s corridors.
Owners of the hospital – Life Healthcare – flatly denied that Tom had had any contact with patients during her outrageous act of alleged social fraud and suggested her time parading as a “doctor” had been brief.
So brazen was Tom in her reaction, that even after she was confronted by St Dominic’s head of security on Wednesday, she feigned offence and, as her parting line, said she would be back on “duty” the next day.
At this point, her photo had been circulated to staff and, on Thursday when she reappeared, she was apprehended by security personnel and delivered to the police who arrived at the hospital to arrest her – just after 10am. She spent the night in jail and appeared in the magistrate’s court yesterday on a charge of fraud – cutting a lonely figure and looking confused.After brief questioning, she provided a Cambridge street address as residence and did not plead. She was granted bail of R1000 and the case was postponed to July 6. “The bail conditions included strict instructions for her not to interfere with any state witness and for her to attend court as instructed. If she does not attend, a warrant of arrest will be issued and her bail money forfeited to the state,” regional NPA spokesman Tsepo Ndwalaza said.
Police insiders claimed that Tom was a medical school dropout from the University of Free State in Bloemfontein.
The university could not be reached to confirm this at the time of writing.
Police sources also said Tom had been living with a partner – a Mdantsane man for a year – before they broke up earlier this year.
“She found herself homeless, and could not make ends meet. That was when she decided to dust off her lab coat and stethoscopes from the Free State University where she used to study, according to her version of events,” said the source.
“All she wanted was a place to bath and food to eat. I don’t know how long this took, but it’s thanks to the security personnel who questioned her as they noted that she had no car and so walked in,” added the source.
On Thursday, as several people watched, police stormed in via the emergencies entrance to apprehend Tom, said a security guard who was on the scene at the time.
Said the guard, who is not authorised to speak to the media: “It was almost as if it was a movie. Some passing cars stopped to have a look because it is unusual to see a police van instead of an ambulance parking at the hospital emergency entrance”.
The hospital confirmed the presence of the alleged bogus doctor.
Life Healthcare Regional Manager Bruce Janssens said: “Life St Dominic’s Hospital became aware of a person claiming to be a doctor using the public restrooms on Wednesday. When confronted, she left the premises immediately. CCTV footage of the person was immediately circulated and security personnel were informed.
“On the morning of 31 May [Thursday], she returned to the hospital, was identified and taken to a private waiting area. The South African Police Services were contacted and she was arrested. At no point did she have any contact with patients in the hospital”. — zingisam@dispatch.co.za..