A doctors’ report to the head of the Westville prison last September *1 recommended considering convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik for medical parole.

The report was signed by Prof DP Naidoo, head of cardiology at the school of medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and Dr S Khan, principal specialist in cardiology.

It is understood that this was one of the reports on which the parole board based its decision to grant Shaik medical parole.

Shaik was given medical parole last week after serving two years and four months of his 15-year sentence.

His release has sparked much controversy.

In terms of the law, medical parole is granted when a person is “in the final phase of a terminal disease or condition … to die a consolatory and dignified death”.

In their report, Naidoo and Khan said that Shaik was not responding to medication, and was at risk of a heart attack.

Their report states: “Despite our best efforts, Mr Shaik’s pressure remains refractory to medication.

“The target organ damage, including progression in the severity of organ damage, has been objectively documented.

“He remains at risk for a stroke, heart attack and blindness,” the doctors said.

“We cannot keep him in hospital indefinitely, and since the prison authorities are reluctant to manage him at the prison hospital, where conditions are suboptimal, we recommend that he be considered for medical parole.”

Shaik’s brother, Mo, said that the family was “aware of the report and its contents, and beyond that we have no further comment”.

The report says throughout his hospital stay, and despite the intervention of specialists, “his blood pressure remained persistently elevated”.

On Sunday, Naidoo was reported as having recommended Shaik for discharge “because he was considered well enough to leave”.

Prof Naidoo could not be reached for comment yesterday. But the KwaZulu-Natal health department said that Naidoo had been quoted out of context.

The SABC reported last night that KwaZulu-Natal health chief operations officer Nhlanhla Nkosi said that there had been a misunderstanding of the word “discharge *2”. Nkosi said that Naidoo had meant that all that could be done had been done, and it was left to the Department of Correctional Services to apply its mind based on what doctors who had examined Shaik had said.

Parole expert Lukas Muntingh said yesterday it was not necessary for a doctors’ report to specifically state that a patient was in the “final stages of a medical disease or condition”, but the doctor had “to present the facts for one to draw that conclusion”.

The Health Professions Council of SA said yesterday that it would investigate three doctors who allegedly approved Shaik’s release on medical parole.

Spokeswoman Bertha Peters-Scheepers said that the council had received a complaint from the Democratic Alliance, which had asked the council to determine whether the doctors acted in compliance with the rules.

With Sapa

rabkinf@bdfm.co.za

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