Fraud-accused surgeon Peter Beale back in court

JOHANNESBURG - Disgraced paediatric surgeon Peter Beale’s murder trial is set to kick off in the high court in Johannesburg on Monday. 
  
The renowned surgeon fell from grace following his alleged “reckless” conduct in the deaths of three children he operated on.
  
This is an exceptional case, with only a handful of cases involving patient deaths having ever been criminally prosecuted in South Africa. 
 
The move to arrest and charge Beale sparked widespread debate about the criminal liability of doctors. 

Over and above murder, Beale is also charged with fraud. 
 
The State accuses him of "recklessly and fraudulently [undertaking] unnecessary paediatric surgeries”. 
  
This is to “re-establish his financial position" after suffering a "significant financial loss" in an investment scheme in the 2000s. 
  
Beale, for his part, has previously denied wrongdoing. He has yet to formally plead to the chargers he faces, though. 
  
In the meantime, organisations like the SA Medical Association have expressed concerns about what appears to be the criminalisation of “medical errors and adverse events”. 
 
The prosecution of a Richards Bay doctor for the murder of a 35-year-old patient who died after surgery has also caused jitters within the medical fraternity.