Another doctor convicted over illegal transplants
2010-12-15 16:08
Johannesburg - A former Netcare St Augustine's Hospital doctor has paid an admission of guilt fine of R150 000 for contravening 90 counts of the Human Tissue Act in a case which involved illegal kidney transplants, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Wednesday.
"Yesterday (Tuesday), the specially appointed prosecutor, advocate Robin Palmer, announced that on Friday, 10 December 2010 a 76-year-old man, Dr Jeff Kallmeyer, paid an admission of guilt of R150 000," said spokesperson Colonel Vishnu Naidoo.
This brings to six the number of people the Commercial Crimes Unit in Durban have convicted and sentenced in the case.
Kallmeyer had previously practised from St Augustine's Hospital, but has since moved to Canada.
Kallmeyer had been found guilty of violating the act in working with other people to unlawfully acquire, use or supply kidneys of people still alive for money.
The case against the remaining accused, transplant surgeons Professor A Haffejee, John Robbs, Niel Christopher, Mahadev Naidoo and former Netcare employees Lindy Dickson and Melanie Anzor was postponed to January 28 2011.
Professor Nancy Scheper-Huges, who is currently in South Africa, assisted the investigating team during 2004 by travelling to Durban from the United States and presented an overview of organ trafficking internationally to police and the health department, Naidoo said.
She has offered to be a state witness.
"She also mentioned that South Africa is the only country in the world which proceeded with criminal actions against an institution involved in the illegal trafficking of organs, referring to the conviction of Netcare KZN during last month," Naidoo said.
- SAPA
