'Fake' cardiologist would have had to start med school when she was 9

15 June 2016 - 17:52 By Roxanne Henderson
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Image: Gallo Images/Thinkstock

Our guess is that when 19-year-old Maria Lebo Mokgobu allegedly posed as a cardiologist and applied for a job with a Polokwane hospital‚ she did not consider that it takes more than a decade to qualify as one.

Mokgobu‚ who now faces fraud charges‚ was due to apply for bail in the Polokwane Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.

She was picked up by elite policing unit the Hawks on June 7 at the Health Department's offices in Polokwane as she sat waiting to be interviewed.

Mokgobu allegedly presented a fake certificate in cardiology from an American institution to apply for a post at Pietersburg Hospital.

“Further investigations unearthed that the suspect did not have a Grade12 certificate and that prior to her shortlisting for the post at the Pietersburg Hospital she had already been introduced to the staff at the Netcare Hospital‚ also in Polokwane‚ where was supposed to start her job as a cardiologist‚” Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Netshiunda said in a statement.

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Perhaps Mokgobu‚ born in Krugersdorp‚ failed to consider that it takes more than ten years to qualify as a cardiologist and that at the tender age of 19 her qualification was likely unconvincing.

Cardiologists are doctors who specialise in treating conditions and diseases related to the heart and blood vessels.

Johannesburg doctor and University of Witwatersrand graduate Lesego Ndlovu said the time it takes to qualify as a doctor differs by university‚ but that the first step would be completing a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBCh) degree‚ which takes about six years.

This must then be followed by a two-year internship and by one year of compulsory community service‚ she said.

That means cardiology hopefuls must study and work for about nine years before they may start specialising.

The Colleges of Medicine of South Africa outlines the regulations for admission to the fellowship of the College of Cardiothoracic Surgeons of South Africa in a 43-page document.

One must be admitted as a fellow in cardiology to work as one in South Africa.

Ndlovu said it could take at least four years to specialise and another two years to be admitted as a fellow.

She added that the qualifications of all doctors practicing in South Africa can be vetted on the Health Professions Council of South Africa's website.

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