Surgeon botched operations

A surgeon was yesterday found guilty of unprofessional conduct - for botching operations on patients, leaving them with permanent complications. 

General surgeon Dr Johan Pansegrouw was accused of performing unnecessary procedures on three patients - JE Leigh, 76, Marius van de Hyde, 35, and Gwnyth Theunissen, 43, - while practising at the Nelspruit Medi-Clinic in Mpumalanga.
Pansegrouw has since moved to KwaZulu-Natal, where he worked at McCord hospital.

Pansegrouw, who has been a doctor for eight years, was found guilty of performing an unnecessary transverse loop colostomy on Leigh in January 2003 - two months after qualifying as a surgeon.

Pansegrouw's lawyer Salie Joubert said Leigh had been the surgeon's 34th patient.

Pansegrouw was also found guilty of making it necessary for Van de Hyde to undergo a hemicolectomy - the partial removal of the colon - after he botched the removal of the man's appendix.

He was found guilty of incorrectly diagnosing that Van de Hyde required an appendectomy.

Pansegrouw was found not guilty on a charge of unnecessarily removing a patient's kidney.

Health Professionals' Council of SA spokesman Bertha Peters-Scheepers said Pansegrouw had also appeared before the disciplinary committee "about two years ago".

"He was convicted of two counts of incompetence . and paid an admission of guilt fine to the tune of R10000, the maximum fine at the time," she said.

Joubert said his client was satisfied with the outcome of the hearing. The HPCSA's committee of inquiry will reveal its decision regarding disciplinary action on June 17.

May 13, 2010 10:40 PM | By ZANDILE MBABELA