Nervous palpitations are the order of the day for residents of a Chatsworth community south of Durban after the “doctor” who has treated them for years was accused of faking his qualifications.
For more than three years, Ashley Ramsarup, 51 — or Dr Ash as he was known to patients — posed as a registered medical professional, treating hundreds of people, prescribing medication, issuing sick notes and even administering injections and stitching wounds.
Sources in the community say he was an admin clerk before he reinvented himself as a physician.
Ramsarup was arrested this week in a raid on his practice led by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).
He appeared in court on Tuesday on charges of contravening the Health Professions Act. He was not asked to plead and was released on R2,000 bail.
“I feel sick to my stomach,” said one patient, who asked not to be named. “This man gave me injections and stitched my son’s wound. I’m angry that he lied to us but I’m even more scared about what he put into our bodies.”
I feel sick to my stomach. This man gave me injections and stitched my son’s wound. I’m angry that he lied to us but I’m even more scared about what he put into our bodies
Rocky Naidoo, chair of the Havenside Civic Association, said Ramsarup “was so convincing that people believed him”. Naidoo said it is believed that Ramsarup in the past did clerical work.
Patients said they had assumed Ramsarup was genuine because he had taken over the rooms of the trusted local GP, Dr Govindaraj Muruvan, after he died.
Ramsarup allegedly used Muruvan’s letterhead to issue prescriptions and sick notes.
HPCSA spokesperson Priscilla Sekhonyana said the raid was conducted with police after an anonymous tip-off to the council.
“The HPCSA does not know his profession, however, he is not a registered health practitioner,” she said. The council did not know if he had ever studied medicine.
"[Ramsarup] was using registration credentials of a deceased practitioner,” she said.
The recent case of TikTok’s “Dr Matthew Lani” — who faked an entire medical career on social media — showed South Africans how easily patients can be duped.
Sekhonyana said 49 people had been arrested last year alone for masquerading as doctors, mainly in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
“The HPCSA has noticed an increase of unregistered persons practising illegal, partly due to the awareness campaigns to educate the public how to identify and report illegal practice,” she said.
“Bogus practitioners ... pose health risks to unsuspecting members of the public with wrong diagnosis, medication and medical procedures.”
Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa, chair of the South African Medical Association (Sama), told the Sunday Times cases of bogus doctors “are reported far too frequently”.
“Each incident represents a serious breach of patient safety and undermines the integrity of the profession,” Mzukwa said. “The HPCSA’s periodic sting operations suggest that this is a persistent problem requiring sustained vigilance.”
He said a number of factors fuelled the fake doctor phenomenon, including the fact that there were not enough genuine doctors in some areas.
“Gaps in regulatory enforcement, a shortage of health-care professionals in some communities, and a public health system under immense pressure ... may create opportunities for unregistered individuals to exploit patients.
“The growing desperation of patients to access health care, especially in underserved areas, makes them more vulnerable to such exploitation.”
Mzukwa said it was “unacceptable and dangerous” for an unqualified and unregistered individual to perform any medical procedure.
“Incidents like these erode the public’s trust in the health-care system and in qualified practitioners,” he said.
“They also damage the reputation of the medical profession, casting doubt on the legitimacy of even highly trained and ethical doctors.”
Mzukwa called for closer collaboration between the department of health, the HPCSA, law enforcement and the public.
“Greater transparency in registration databases, routine inspections of private practices, and tougher penalties for impersonation could act as stronger deterrents. Public education campaigns can also help communities verify the credentials of their health-care providers.”
Health activist Josias Naidoo, who is chair of the public health NPO Hope4Health, advised South Africans to be vigilant.
“The public must not be so trusting. All registered practitioners must be able to verify their credentials. Don’t be afraid to ask to see their registration certificate,” he said.
“Also, never accept treatment or medication from unregistered individuals, even if they are family. You are responsible for your own health and should never risk it by taking unproven remedies or medication that is not prescribed by a competent and registered health professional.”
The department of health referred questions to the HPCSA.
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