Pro-life doctor Jacques de Vos will not learn the result of the charges against him until December after a six-member disciplinary inquiry panel refused to dismiss them. Though de Vos’ representation argued that the hearing was unfair due to the vague nature of the charges, as well as the failure of the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) to provide de Vos with more information. Facing four counts of transgressions, if de Vos is found guilty, he may be sanctioned with a warning, a fine, a suspension, or have his registration with HPCSA terminated.
The legal team for de Vos has argued the establishment of an inquiry against the 32-year-old medical professional did not follow the correct procedure for such an action. Martus de Wet, the attorney for de Vos, has said they’ll be seeking clarity from HPCSA for some of the charges.
Critical of the obscure nature of the charges, de Wet commented:
Some of the charges were totally vague; we relied on the Constitutional Court judgment that they must provide us with clarity on exactly where and how the alleged misconduct happened so that the person can answer.
Allegedly, de Vos attempted to dissuade a pregnant woman from abortion while interning at a military hospital. A chairperson for the disciplinary inquiry committee, Andrew Swart, refused to approve of a dismissal for charges one and two. These charges accuse de Vos of professional misconduct for not complying with the norms and standards of his position. However, de Vos’s attorney confirmed that the patient in question still proceeded to have an abortion.
The hearing for de Vos is scheduled to take place on December 9. Join our newsletter to receive more updates from me.
