BULAWAYO – A man posing as a medical doctor was arrested at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo on Tuesday after writing a bizarre prescription for a patient containing references to Lacto and several fruits including apples and grapes.
Dressed in a white coat and a stethoscope around his neck, Prosper Mpofu, 29, passed himself off as a doctor as he met a patient at the hospital’s Outpatients Department.
The patient had been referred to him by a friend from church.
A Thabani Ndlovu narrated how a church mate who was hired by the doctor connected him and his wife to Mpofu.
Ndlovu’s wife has a heart problem.
On Tuesday, the couple visited Mpilo Hospital hoping to get some assistance from what they genuinely believed was a qualified doctor.
“…We came this morning looking for him, but he was not around, he told us to wait. We then decided to join the queue at the outpatient’s department so that when he arrives, we would be ready.
“We managed to see the doctor that was in the rooms, and when we were done, he called us to tell us he was at the hospital. He took us to one of the rooms that is when we saw hospital authorities now surrounding us,” he said.
Copies of the bizarre prescriptions issued by Mpofu circulated on social media.
They contained numerous errors, including incorrect dosages and misspelt drug names.
Bulawayo police spokesperson, Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed Mpofu’s arrest.
Mpofu once appeared in court in 2022 charged with assault. He told police then that he was a year 5 medical student.
His case is the latest in a growing incidence of fake doctors targeting Zimbabwe’s major hospital where vulnerable patients have creamed of their hard-earned money.
