South Africa’s Gauteng provincial health department has warned residents not to pay healthcare workers directly after a bogus doctor’s alleged attempt to solicit, in its words, "a bribe" at the country’s biggest hospital.
The woman, reportedly wore green scrubs which had the name "Dr Zulu" printed on them, is alleged to have asked a patient’s escort at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital to give her 700 rand ($36; £29) for assistance.
The escort grew suspicious when the woman, who has not been named, said they should meet at a pedestrian gate to make the payment.
When approached, she was unable to produce her credentials, and later arrested. The woman posing as a medic has not yet spoken about the incident.
The Gauteng health department urged members of the public to be aware of such scams.
"If there are any fees payable in the hospital, this will be done at patient administration and an invoice will be issued to indicate exactly what the patient is paying for," it said in a statement.
People pretending to be registered medics have become a major concern in South Africa, with the health ministry saying last year that more than 120 people had been arrested in connection with allegedly bogus qualifications over the previous three years.
Popular TikToker Matthew Lani last year claimed to be a registered medical doctor with a degree from Wits University in Johannesburg, but this was denied by the institution and the country’s Health Professions Council of South Africa. He later admitted that he was not a doctor, then charges that he had impersonated a medic were dropped.
