Photo by [News24]
Peter Beale, a 75-year-old pediatric surgeon and Professor at Wits University, is facing three counts of murder and two counts of fraud after performing surgeries which caused the death of three children. Beale appeared in the Johannesburg High Court on Wednesday regarding new developments in his case.
In 2019 Beale and anesthetist Abdulhey Munshi were arrested and charged with culpable homicide after the death of a ten-year-old boy. Munshi was killed the following year.
Three years before their arrest, Beale was allegedly involved in the death of a 21-month-old baby in 2016, following what was supposedly a routine surgery.
In late 2019, the charge in the case of the ten-year-old boy was changed to murder, along with the case of the 21-month-old baby. In addition, it was alleged in 2012, Beale was also involved in the death of a three-year-old boy, with which he is also being charged with murder.
As reported by EWN, “The fraud charges relate to the way in which he handled the cases involving the three-year-old and ten-year-old.”
The Health Professional Council of South Africa removed Beale from its register. However, Dr Coetzee insists it was by Beale’s admission to be removed from the register despite the media insisting on the former.
SAMA Condemns the Charges
Dr Angelique Coetzee, Chair of the SAUBC, said what was happening to Beale was astonishing. In conjunction with the South African Medical Association, her organisation condemns the charges brought against Beale by the National Prosecuting Authority.
“You cannot criminalise the medical field as it is currently being seen, especially from the NPA, who is actively driving this. It’s totally unacceptable. So if you look at the accusations against Professor Beale, it’s only one-sided. It’s based on two or three observations, according to what we have seen in the media.”
She said before doctors operate on anyone, they discuss the risks involved in operations and only go ahead once approval is given. She adds that doctors and medical professionals do not intentionally look to harm their patients, and to say Beale murdered them “doesn’t make any sense”.
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Specialised Operating Procedures
Dr Coetzee said it is insufficient to follow the pathology reports of these cases as they do not provide a clear understanding of what truly happened on those days.
She expresses the importance of having specialised courts which look at medical-related cases. A court which consists of medical experts, judges and people. And if there is evidence of malpractice, they should be referred to ordinary law courts.
“It’s also very important to understand all reasonable and necessary steps to ensure that any medical decision-making … Does not become a violation of state and or criminal law. We need to oppose any legislation which gives the government responsibility to define appropriate medical practice and regulate such practice through criminal penalties.”
She adds that the HPCSA has experts who look into such cases. However, their turnaround time in dissolving their cases leaves much to be desired.
Watch the full discussion here.
