Denver Kisting
14 June 2011
‘DOCTOR’ Martin Blair, the alleged loose cannon medical practitioner, is not only not registered with the Health Professions Council, but the Minister of Health and Social Services has not authorised him to practise.
After his appointment at the Katutura State Hospital late last year, it emerged in December that Blair had never completed the compulsory authorisation forms.
The Minister of Health and Social Services may, in terms of the Medical and Dental Act, authorise doctors to practise without being registered with the health regulatory body.
However, they may then only practise in the public service and for a renewable period of two years.
Blair seems to have circumvented the ministry’s scrutiny process by not completing the authorisation forms and so slipped through the system.
Dr Jack Vries, senior official in the health ministry, expressed relief that “nothing untoward” happened while Blair was employed in the department of internal medicine at Katutura State Hospital as a medical officer (MO).
As an MO, Blair dealt with patient admissions, examinations, the prescription of medication and minor operations.
Vries said Blair was called in in December last year and interrogated about why he had not completed the authorisation forms and informed that the Health Professions Council refused to register him.
According to Vries, Blair resigned shortly afterwards.
Being both unregistered and unauthorised, Blair is thus not allowed to practise as a doctor in Namibia.
However, he admitted that he “consults” at the Oyetu Clinic at Okahandja at no payment.
Oyetu Clinic is run by a registered nurse, Kristine Nunuhe.
Nunuhe called The Namibian a “storiebek”, essentially a tattle-tale, before hanging up. “I really don’t want to answer that question (about her association with Blair). Ask him,” she shouted before slamming down the phone.
Although Nunuhe is licensed to run Oyetu Clinic, she faces having that licence withdrawn should it be established that Blair works with her.
Blair earlier threatened with legal action about “that nonsense that was written. The game is over.”
Currently, there are 70 unregistered doctors in the Government’s service. These were appointed in January this year.
Cornelius Weyulu, deputy registrar of the council, said Blair’s application had been turned down “because he didn’t meet the minimum requirements”.
Weyulu said it was decided to turn down Blair’s application for registration as “the papers” he presented indicated that he had not studied for a minimum period of five years.
Furthermore, Weyulu said, the subjects which he claims to have studied are also not in compliance with the council’s minimum requirements.
“He has papers, but what he presented to us is not sufficient for us. He’s not registrable in Namibia.”
Weyulu said: “After having told Dr Blair that he cannot practise in Namibia, the role of the council formally ends and it becomes the duty of whoever finds him practising illegally to alert the Police as I appreciate is probably happening already.”
Vries charged that the Health Professions Council “takes too long to evaluate [health professionals] for registration. If that can be quicker, most of the things (applications by foreigners) can be sent to the Council”.
Foreigners who apply to be authorised by the ministry may not be older than 57. Unlike Namibians who are allowed to work in public practice until they are 67 years old, foreigners are limited to work until the age of 60.
These requirements, however, are not rigid, Vries said.
He emphasised that the ministry subjects foreigners to a strict evaluation process to ensure fly-by-night doctors are not appointed.
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