The lawyer for an anti-abortion doctor facing a disciplinary hearing for unprofessional conduct has expressed frustration over further delays in the matter.

Jacques de Vos has been prohibited from practising medicine pending his Health Professions Council of SA (HPSCA) hearing in Cape Town which was due to begin yesterday.

TimesLIVE says the chairperson of the disciplinary committee is no longer available on the scheduled dates due to 'logistical issues which the respondent's attorneys are aware of'.

But anti-abortion lobby group Doctors for Life claimed the HPCSA's failure to provide the defence with crucial documents was behind the delay.

De Vos' attorney, Martus de Wet, described the postponement as 'very frustrating', saying the outstanding information was supposed to be made available more than a year ago.

'The hearing was first scheduled for August 2018. Since the beginning of 2018 we have been asking for the information that we are entitled to by law,' he said.

'Instead of providing us with the information, the (prosecutor) just informed us that the matter has been removed from the roll. We argued that it is unlawful to remove it from the roll unilaterally. Then they withdrew the charges, only to reinstate them again after the initial date passed.'

More than three years after the alleged misconduct, said De Wet, 'we still have nothing, and the hearing is about three weeks away'.

De Vos, who maintains that his views on abortion are based on science, is facing four charges, which include disrespecting his patient's dignity, accentuating his personal and religious beliefs over his patient's rights, distributing pamphlets at work about his beliefs and failing to remain objective.

Full TimesLIVE report