I WILL NOT PLAY YOUR GAMES
Acclaimed mesh surgeon pulls out of trip talks with withering verdict on Scots
Aleading mesh specialist has withdrawn an offer to visit Scotland to treat patients and train surgeons, claiming months of talks have led nowhere.
Dr Dionysios Veronikis delivered a withering verdict on officials who, he suspects, were never serious about bringing him to Scotland, despite Health Secretary Jeane Freeman promising mesh- damaged women in June that she would ensure his arrival. Yesterday, Dr Veronikis, who is one of the world’s leading mesh removal specialists, voiced his regret, but said he had no choice after months of fruitless talks with senior medical officers.
The Us-based doctor said: “I simply offered to help but I am a surgeon, not a politician or an official. I don’t play games.”
Politicians joined campaigners yesterday to ask why Ms Freeman failed to ensure her officials secured the promised visit.
Mesh survivor Karen Neil said: “The next time the Health Secretary makes a promise, she should not imagine anyone is listening.”
Does the minister even know what went on here? – Mesh survivor Karen Neil
The delay was frustrating. I share your frustration – Health Secretary Jeane Freeman
Aworld- renowned mesh removal surgeon has withdrawn his offer to come to Scotland after accusing health officials of needless delay and disrespect.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman pledged Dionysios Veronikis would be brought to Scotland to help some of the 600 mesh-damaged women and train surgeons.
Instead, the Us-based surgeon, who has developed techniques allowing the full removal of mesh implants, has written to her explaining that he can no longer come because of how he has been treated during four months of discussions with her senior health officials.
He does not believe officials or surgeons involved in mesh removal were ever serious about bringing him to Scotland, despite Ms Freeman’s promise.
“I am not a politician, I’m not a civil servant, I’m a doctor and do not have the time to play games,” said Dr Veronikis. “In good faith, I offered to come to Scotland for a month to operate on women and train surgeons.
“I made myself available at every stage but after months of discussions I no longer believe officials or surgeons in Scotland ever seriously tried to bring me to Scotland.
“I do not have time for inter minable discussions and feel I must now withdraw my offer.”
Ms Freeman in June promised to arrange for Dr Veronikis to be brought to Scotland after meeting with mesh- injured women, who told her Scots surgeons did not have the skills to carry out full implant removals.
Missouri-based Dr Veronikis said: “But for the delays, three Scottish patients I have seen in St Louis could have been operated on in Scotland.
“All three, who had been told they had complete mesh removals, had their residual and remaining mesh fully removed by myself.
“What has been recorded in their medical records as full removal was a partial removal.
“My trip to Scotland could have helped many women and could have trained surgeons in my tissue- sparing techniques of full mesh removal and help many more.
“It is then with great regret, and frustration, that I have decided my trip to Scotland will not now take place.”
A mesh review group that Ms Freeman claimed to have set up to help victims had previously proposed Scots doctors and officials could lead a fact-finding trip to the US to study mesh removal techniques.
However, facing calls to apologise and resign after wrongly insisting the group had not previously planned the reintroduction of mesh, Ms Freeman pledged Dr Veronikis would come to Scotland. She charged her chief medical officer, Catherine Caldwerwood, and her deputy Terry O’kelly with arranging the visit.
However, Dr Veronikis does not believe the original plan was ever changed.
“I have to conclude that despite what Ms Freeman promised, her officials had no real intention to bring me to Scotland and continued to plan for the fact-finding trip they had previously proposed.”
Last week, Mr O’kelly, an Aberdeen-based surgeon, told Dr Veronikis that, before any trip to Scotland could be arranged, Scots would visit him in St Louis before visiting another US doctor, Ohio-based surgeon Howard Goldman, who did not believe full mesh removable was necessary.
Dr Goldman, who, like many other surgeons in the field has previously received research funding from mesh manufacturers, defends partial removal of the mesh implant causing specific problems as a successful technique and says full mesh removal can cause other health issues.
He has said: “If there is pain in an area or the mesh has eroded, we take care of that and patients feel fine.”
It is thought Dr Veronikis had agreed to welcome the Scots delegation as a formality to pave the way for his trip to Scotland and had not been told their visit was part of a wider research trip.
Campaigning MSP Neil Findlay said: “Officials in Scotland working with surgeons in Scotland were meant to arrange Dr Veronikis’ arrival in Scotland. Instead, they have delayed and dragged their feet
before coming up with a factfinding trip when they would visit another surgeon who does not believe full mesh removal is necessary.
“That would certainly be convenient for Scottish surgeons who, it would appear from their record, have no idea how to fully remove mesh but it is not what Jeane Freeman asked them to do. We must ask why Scottish surgeons did not want Dr Veronikis to come here?
“This is a shameful way to treat a world- leading surgeon and a shameful way to treat the women he wanted to help.
“I have option but to call for a full public inquiry into the mesh scandal – the biggest scandal in the history of the NHS in Scotland – and for the Cabinet Secretary to take responsibility for this completely avoidable
‘ I do not believe officials ever tried seriously to bring me to Scotland
situation and resign. Jeane Freeman gave commitments to representatives of the Scottish Mesh Survivors group that the Government would do all it could to bring the doctor here and she has let them down and taken all of their hope away.”
The two Scottish surgeons who were tasked with working with Dr Veronikis, NHS Glasgow lead mesh clinician Karen Guerrero and NHS Lothian’s Voula Granitsiotis, knew in June that he was attending the same conference as them, in Sweden last month. According to Mr O’kelly, Dr Guerrero had originally said she might not visit Dr Veronikis in St Louis but, by the time of the conference, had agreed to join the trip.
However, Dr Veronikis claims neither of the Scots made any attempt to speak to him. He said: “If the surgeons had any intention of wanting to work with me, they could have at least spoken to me at the conference in Sweden, but chose not to.
“Instead they approached other surgeons to ask if they would work with them, and those surgeons told me.
“It was disrespectful. I can’t work with people like that. I don’t play games.”
Campaigners for Scotland’s 600 mesh- damaged women have n ow accused Ms Caldwerwood and Mr O’kelly of failing to properly engage with Dr Veronikis, ignoring the public promise of Ms Freeman and shattering the hopes of dozens of women who hoped he might operate on them.
Mesh survivor Karen Neil, 54, called on Ms Freeman to resign, saying: “The question is whether she knew what her officials were doing in her name? If she didn’t, she should have. If she did, she should resign. These are the same officials who planned for the reintroduction of mesh when Ms Freeman said no such plans were taking place.
“These are the same officials who planned a fact-finding trip around America before being told, by Ms Freeman, to bring Dr Veronikis to Scotland. In four months, they made no progress whatsoever but firmed up their plans for a fact- finding trip around America.
“Is Jeane Freeman all right with this? She says banning mesh was her proudest moment as health secretary. Well, she should ask those women living with the consequences of mesh what they think of her performance so far?”