Victims of surgeon deservemoresupport

The disgraced former NHS Tayside neurosurgeon Professor Sam Eljamel was in the news yet again on Friday’s edition of BBC’s Reporting Scotland, which stated that he was operating on patients in Libya, including babies.

He worked at Ninewells Hospital from 1995 until 2014 in the Neurosurgery Unit but was forced to leave his position as lead surgeon in the unit after it was discovered he had operated on the wrong disc in a patient’s spine.

Subsequently, a number of former patients came forward with complaints about their treatment at his hands, prompting an investigation by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS).

The RCS report uncovered various failings in Mr Eljamel’s method of working and also stated that he had bullied members of staff.

After leaving Ninewells he voluntarily gave up his licence to practice as a surgeon in the UK thereby preventing the GMC from investigating his conduct.

As a result, neither NHS Tayside nor the GMC has held him to account. He then moved to the USA and has now turned up in Libya. NHS Tayside has, however, had to pay out over £3 million in compensation to former patients who suffered as result of his incompetence.

A number of local MSPs have tried to assist constituents who had complaints about their treatment by Mr Eljamel but, judging from my own experience, some SNP MSPs in the Tayside area have been less than enthusiastic about shining a light on this matter.

Via email, name supplied