South African health authorities have accused a man known as Dr. Matthew Lani on TikTok of impersonating a medical doctor.
The individual, reportedly in his 20s, has been seen on TikTok wearing scrubs in a public hospital while offering medical advice to TikTokers.
“Lani managed to weave his way into the system, pretending to be in the employ of Helen Joseph Hospital, where he moved around,” Gauteng province’s health department has said in a statement.
The Gauteng province’s health department has opened a criminal case against this fake doctor, asserting that it is a criminal offense to practice medicine without registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa.
The department stated that this impersonator had deceived people by falsely presenting himself as an employee of Helen Joseph Hospital and assuming various medical roles within the hospital.
The name he claimed as his real identity, Dr. Sanele Zingelwa, was actually that of a second-year medical intern at a local hospital, according to the health department.
The genuine Sanele Zingelwa reported the identity fraud to the police.
The imposter alleged that he was a graduate of the Witwatersrand Medical School and claimed to be the “youngest” doctor in the country to own a pharmaceutical company.
However, the University of the Witwatersrand denied any recent graduates with the names Matthew Bongani Zingelwa or Sanele Zingelwa and requested that “Dr. Matthew Lani” retract his claims.
This incident has prompted authorities to reevaluate access to health facilities and employee identification processes.
The TikTok account of Dr. Matthew Lani appears to no longer be available.
Source-BBC
