Mediclinic has been inundated with requests from the public to sever its ties with the notorious cardiologist, Dr Wouter Basson, aka Dr Death, after it was discovered that he is still active in the field.
Mediclinic responds to ‘Dr Death’ cries: ‘Our hands are tied’
Forced to respond, the private hospital group issued a statement on social media, claiming that nothing could be done to prevent Dr Basson from practising at their faculties since “by law, doctors are independent practitioners and cannot be employed by Mediclinic Southern Africa.”
“We cannot prohibit HPCSA (Health Professions Council of South Africa) registered doctors, including Dr Basson, from practising unless they are prevented by law from doing so,” Mediclinic noted in response to outraged South Africans.
Who is Dr Wouter Basson and how did he earn the deathly nickname?
So, “what’s all the fuss about?” you may ask. One of the best cardiologists in South Africa has been shunned as the mercinery of death and he’s still allowed inside the corridors of private hospitals with his medical licence untouched.
As disturbing as this is, it’s not breaking news. You see, Dr Basson — or Death, whichever you may prefer — is a self-admitted serial killer who worked closely with the apartheid government to exterminate black people.
Details of his sordid past were brandished in a HPCSA hearing that concluded its findings in February 2013. The statutory body found the cardiologist guilty of unprofessional conduct for his involvement in the infamous chemical warfare programme, Project Coast.
However, the ruling was overturned by the highest court in the land over recusal issues that were overlooked by the HPCSA.
Basson’s expertise in medicine and virology made him an essential instrument in the apartheid government’s plans to wipe out all threats to their authoritative rule.
Back then, Dr Death armed pre-democracy soldiers with cyanide pills, kidnapping drugs and a highly potent variant of teargas.
The doctor admitted to his involvement in mass killings, in a 2002 criminal trial that ended WITH his acquittal. His defence successfully steered all accountability away from Dr Death, claiming that his actions were in accordance with orders handed to him by the SANDF.
It must be highlighted that Dr Basson had, during former president Nelson Mandela’s historic amnesty campaign, refused to confess his sins at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
Today, the cardiologist strolls the corridors of Mediclinic hospitals in Cape Town.