Fake Mpilo Doctor Gets Real Prison Time: Sentenced To 7 Years Behind Bars

A man who posed as a doctor at one of Zimbabwe’s biggest hospitals has been jailed for 84 months (7 years) after scamming patients and issuing fake prescriptions.

Taurai Prosper Vanhuvaone, 29, from Upper Range in Bulawayo, used the alias “Prosper Mpofu” to carry out a two-year fraud operation within Mpilo Central Hospital. He was convicted on multiple counts of fraud and impersonation by Bulawayo magistrate Eva Matura.

According to The Chronicle, Vanhuvaone will serve an effective 42 months (3.5 years) if he pays back his victims by 30 July. Failing that, he serves the full sentence.

• Also Read: Parirenyatwa Group Of Hospitals Reports 44 Fake Doctors And Workers From 2023

“He promised me a job… and disappeared”

Vanhuvaone tricked several people, including a nurse-aid student who lost US$1,600 (around R30,000) after being promised an attachment at Mpilo Hospital. In another instance, he issued a suspicious prescription that listed “lacto and fruits including apples and grapes” — raising alarm bells among real doctors.

One victim said:

“He sounded confident. He even wore a white coat. I believed him.”

The prosecutor, Mr Samuel Mpofu, insisted on a custodial sentence:

“This case is of national interest. He endangered lives. He’s used different names before and cannot be trusted.”

Court documents revealed Vanhuvaone had even set up an office inside Mpilo and sometimes attended to patients at United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH).

A trail of lies, uniforms and victims

This is not Vanhuvaone’s first run-in with the law. In 2022, he was in court for assault while pretending to be a fifth-year medical student.

In mitigation, he told the court:

“I dropped out of medical school. I own a car, have US$1,800 (about R33,000) in savings, a house in North End, and run a company. I’m a family man.”

But his plea fell flat.

Mpilo’s chief medical officer, Dr Narcisius Dzvanga, said:

“We’re shocked. This has endangered lives. We’re reviewing protocols to make sure this never happens again.”

Mpilo reacts, public alarmed

The sentencing has triggered widespread concern over hospital security and how Vanhuvaone operated undetected for so long.

A court official said:

“He was bold. He blended in and people trusted him. This is a wake-up call for the whole sector.”

Vanhuvaone must now repay US$8,165 (about R150,000) to avoid serving the full 84 months. The case continues to stir debate across the country.