Dr Wouter Basson, who headed the previous Defence Force’s chemical warfare section, was found guilt of unprofessional conduct by the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) today.
“In the light of all the circumstances, the breaches amount to unprofessional conduct… the respondent is guilty of unprofessional conduct,” HPCSA professional conduct committee chairman Prof Jannie Hugo said in Pretoria.
The ruling by the council comes after protracted attempts to prosecute Basson for his role in South Africa’s chemical warfare defense initiatives. Basson has maintained throughout that the previous government had developed a defensive capability in the face of chemical weapons being used by the Soviet Union, East German, Cuba and other Warsaw Pact nations during the Angolan war.
However, Prof. Jannie Hugo said that Basson “had contravened international protocals and conventions. The respondent confused ethics of a doctor with that of a soldier while discharging his duties. A doctor cannot rely on military orders to escape the consequences of his duties.”
In a protracted criminal court case which went on appeal to the Constitutional Court and cost the government R50 million, Basson was found not guilty of any offense.
Basson practises as a cardiologist in Cape Town where he is lauded by his patients. Depending on what sanctions the HPCSA is going to apply against him, he could lose the right to practise as a doctor. The body’s decision will be made known in 20 and 21 February 2014.