Man who assaulted KZN doctor after sister's death to appear in court

The brother of a patient who died at Shifa Hospital last month is set to appear in the Durban Magistrate's Court later this month for allegedly attacking a gynaecologist.

The man is scheduled to appear in court on March 23.

A week ago, KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Capt Nqobile Gwala told TimesLIVE that the man had given a statement to police and that the docket had been sent to the senior public prosecutor to make a decision on whether to prosecute.

On Tuesday, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in KwaZulu-Natal, Natasha Kara, said the man would make his first court appearance later this month.

However she couldn’t confirm what charge he was facing.

The man and two other relatives allegedly assaulted the 51-year-old doctor at Shifa Hospital in Overport on February 24.

SA Medical Association (Sama) chair Dr Akhtar Hussain said the doctor had suffered severe facial injuries and broken bones.

He said the doctor had performed surgery on a 39-year-old female patient earlier on February 24.

The doctor was called to the ward shortly after 10pm, when the patient's condition deteriorated. When she informed them that the woman had died, she was attacked by the patient's family.

The doctor was admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit. She has since been discharged from hospital.