The High Court in Port Elizabeth has sentenced a gynaecologist to one year's imprisonment, suspended for three years, for causing the death of a woman following an operation, the Herald Online reported on Friday.

Dr Marcus van Heerden was found guilty of culpable homicide following the death of Ilse Malherbe after a routine hysterectomy at St George's Hospital on 19 October 2004.

Anaesthetist Dr Michiel Botha was found not guilty.

During sentencing on Thursday, Judge Hennie Liebenberg said Malherbe's life could have been saved if he had acted when phoned by the duty nurse, Sister Beatrix Cooper, to tell him of Malherbe's low blood pressure after the operation.

"The State has proved beyond reasonable doubt that, if attended to, and proper medication administered, the deceased's life could have been saved.

"I am satisfied that she (Cooper) was truthful as a witness. I find that accused number one (Van Heerden) acted negligently by failing to go and see the deceased. He was negligent in taking appropriate steps to stop internal bleeding."

Liebenberg said Van Heerden's evidence had been vague and contradictory.

During mitigation of sentence, Van Heerden's lawyer, Graham van de Spuy, said Van Heerden had been a medical practitioner for 22 years. He had a wife and two sons to take care of.

"Dr Van Heerden has suffered enormous financial loss. He has lost patients because of the adverse publicity he has suffered in respect of this case," the Herald quoted him as saying.

Liebenberg said he had taken Van Heerden's personal circumstances into consideration. However, he had found it unacceptable that Van Heerden did not want to take responsibility for what had happened.