A doctor is thinking of abandoning his practice near the Site C taxi rank, he says, because bogus sick notes bearing his name are ruining his reputation. It is well known that there are people at the rank offering the sick notes for a price (usually between R150 and R200), and they are usually positioned just metres away from Dr Dhevan Naidoo’s surgery, which has been in the area for nearly two decades. The 43-year-old father of two said he had discovered that people had been issuing the fake medical certificates with his name on for at least the past five years. Some years back, he said, they had been operating out of two containers next to his practice.
It had been in those containers that the sick notes, bearing his and other doctors’ details, had been forged.
Those offering the sick notes, he said, were often quite brazen about it and would approach people randomly.
He had reported it to the police several times, but the problem had persisted, and, to his knowledge, nothing had been done about it.
The Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (CODETA), however, had closed the containers after he had reported the issue to them, he said.
But even that hadn’t stopped the fake sick notes, he said, and now his reputation was in danger because many big firms had caught employees with medical certificates bearing his name.
Other companies had warned their employees not to submit sick notes from doctors in Site C.
His practice had suffered grave financial loss over the years because of the problem, he said, and some of his clients believed he was the one behind the fake certificates.
He had faced no such problems when had opened his surgery in 2000, but now he often thought about closing it, he said.
“People think I’m behind this scheme. This has certainly tainted my hard-earned reputation.
“I chose this area when many people did not want to come and render their services in these areas. These people are tarnishing my image. I’m thinking of leaving this area.
“I have created employment, and when I shut down this place, it means that these people would be jobless. I have reported the matter too many times but nothing has been done. These people are operating just next to my surgery,” he said.
Khayelitsha police station spokesman Constable Lowellan Arthur West urged Dr Naidoo to contact the police station again, and he promised an investigation would follow.
Codeta chairperson Vusumzi Miselo criticised the police for not catching those behind the scheme.
He said Codeta had closed the containers and confiscated all the evidence but police officers had failed to act.
GH
XXX
Doctor
SIYAVUYA KHAYA
A fake sick certificate bearing Dr Dhevan Naidoo’s name.
Dr Dhevan Naidoo says his practice is suffering because of fake sick notes being issued in the area, some carrying his details.
