JOHANNESBURG - The South African Medical Association (SAMA) has raised concerns about the growing number of bogus medical practitioners operating in the country.
It says these individuals are masquerading as doctors and physiotherapists in the private healthcare sector across all nine provinces.
According to SAMA, the problem is exacerbated by a lack of resources at the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).
"We are in this problem because we do not have enough resources in the HPCSA, which needs to go around inspecting all healthcare facilities, public and private, making sure that those practitioners appear in the register," SAMA chairperson Mvuyiswa Mzukwa said.
Mzukwa said bogus practitioners often steal the credentials and identities of registered healthcare professionals.
Where verification processes are inadequate or inconsistently applied, they can evade detection for extended periods.
Statistics show that more than 50 bogus practitioners were arrested between March 2024 and December 2025.
In January, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department’s Tactical Response Unit arrested a 50-year-old woman who was allegedly impersonating a registered medical practitioner at a private hospital in Midrand.
In another incident in May, a 21-year-old woman was arrested at a provincial hospital in KwaZulu-Natal after allegedly stealing scrubs from a hospital in eThekwini and posing as a medical intern at a facility in the Ugu District Municipality.
In 2023, then Health Minister Joe Phaahla said 124 fake doctors had been arrested following a crackdown by the HPCSA.
"Doctors' information is readily available in sick notes, which include the practice number and HPCSA registration number. It is easy for people to present their own documents and present them as valid doctor's sick notes."
"Employers can always verify whether an individual is a real doctor or not. Some of us have been subjected to having our names being used by someone else who is not even a DR who creates sick notes and sells them at a very low price."
Mzukwa advised patients to request a healthcare practitioner’s HPCSA registration number and practice number, and to verify those details on the HPCSA website.
"But also, you can ask around to know where the said doctor is coming from. One of the things to look out for is doctors who refuse medical aid. When someone says, 'I'm not using medical aid, I only take cash', it's one of the red flags to look out for."