A well-known Free State doctor, murdered after being kidnapped in front of his family on Monday, has been described as selfless.
Dr Simon Ngcobo was attacked in his home and robbed at gunpoint of cellphones and cash before being kidnapped.
“He was selfless. It's sad that he had to die this way because he gave so much of himself to his community. They will miss him a lot. They will never find a doctor as dedicated as he was,” said his friend, Dr Johnson Mahlangu, who knew Ngcobo for more than three decades.
“He died in that community with his boots on.
“It shakes the profession to the core because he had such a big practice in that area. He did occupational health, helping companies run health and safety programmes for their employees. He did private work.
“I remember all the times we used to wake up at night to do a caesarean section, then come back, wake up and go to see another patient in casualty or emergency in the private and public hospitals.”
Ngcobo was a generous man who wanted to see every young doctor succeed, he added. “He was one of those rare people who believed individual success is not enough if we don’t succeed as a collective.”
Above all, Ngcobo was a loving father. “He was dedicated to his family. His children were his priority. He talked about them very highly and he gave them everything he could. I am sure they will miss him more than we can know,” said Mahlangu.
The SA Medical Association (Sama), its members and the Goldfields branch council have sent condolences to the family and colleagues of Ngcobo, while expressing dismay at medical practitioners being victims of crime.
How many patients are going to die because the doctor is afraid to go to see them at night or in an environment where there is a lack of security?
— Dr Johnson Mahlangu
Recent cases include the death of a Soweto doctor attacked in his surgery, a final-year medical student killed in Mpumalanga and Sama chairperson Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa being hospitalised after a robbery on a Durban highway.
“Medical doctors, as healthcare workers, not only face criminal elements as citizens of the country but are also attacked in the course of duty, in public hospitals and clinics, by patients and their families,” Sama said.
Mahlangu said the few doctors dedicated to working in communities have heightened anxiety. “That’s going to affect the services for many innocent people. It has instilled a lot of fear. I, for one, would probably not want to be there. When you go home, you think you will be safe. But if you get home and you’re not safe there, it’s going to affect the health profession.
“I don’t think the community will be the same. They will lose out. How many patients are going to die because the doctor is afraid to go to see them at night or in an environment where there is a lack of security?”
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.