A Milpark Hospital doctor says she is reluctant to help in criminal cases after she was arrested for being in contempt of court.

Rachelle Isakov was subpoenaed to give evidence in a rape case at the Johannesburg Magistrates Court last month but could not testify due to a medical emergency.

She was then arrested at work in front of patients and staff last week and released hours later on a warning.

Isakov maintains the prosecutor in the matter was told she had to perform an operation, adding she cannot understand why she was arrested.

“I was totally horrified, it was horribly embarrassing and I was humiliated. It was devastating and I must say I lost a lot of faith in the justice system because we work hard, we do not have time to take whole days off,” she said.

The NPA says it is aware of her arrest and will investigate the matter further once it receives more details from Isakov.