A Durban dentist, Anwar Mohamed Jeewa, 64, has been convicted for running an unregistered drug and alcohol treatment and detoxification medical facility. He was found guilty of dispensing Schedule Six drugs and charged with culpable homicide in connection with the death of a foreign patient. His sentencing will take place in the Durban High Court next month.
Following his conviction, Jeewa’s bail of R20,000 was extended, and he is now required to report to the Sydenham Police Station three times a week. Legal arguments and sentencing will be discussed on Thursday,12 September.
The case re-examined the death of a Canadian-French citizen, Milos Martinovic, in Durban in 2017. The Senior State Prosecutor, Advocate Nadira Moosa, detailed the events leading to the foreign patient’s travel to South Africa and his treatments at Jeewa’s medical center in Westville, which ultimately led to his death.
Jeewa operated the Minds Alive Wellness Centre without registering it with the Department of Social Development as a treatment center and failed to register the detoxification facility with the Department of Health. Evidence in court showed that the dentist was aware that these registrations were required.
Although Jeewa was a qualified dentist registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), his registration limited him to performing acts only in dentistry. Despite this, he established and operated a drug and alcohol treatment and detoxification facility from 2011 to November 2017.
Legal proceedings revealed that Jeewa was convicted of culpable homicide and multiple other charges related to the infringement of various sections of the Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965. Additionally, he was convicted of establishing and managing an unregistered treatment center.
Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in KwaZulu-Natal, provided information regarding the case. Jeewa advertised himself as a specialist with extensive knowledge in Ibogaine therapy for drug addiction. He imported a dry plant material (Tabernanthe Iboga) for research but used it to manufacture preparations containing Ibogaine without the required license, and also dispensed, sold, and exported such preparations without authorisation.
The court heard that Martinovic contacted Jeewa through the center’s website for Ibogaine therapy for his addiction to opiates and benzodiazepines. Following the treatment, Martinovic went into cardiac arrest and subsequently passed away. The treatment process was found to be inadequately monitored and had an ineffective emergency response.
The investigation also revealed that schedule-6 medicines, such as narcotic painkillers, are moderately to highly addictive, and patients given these drugs must be closely monitored.
