Media & News Coverage

Victims of disgraced NHS Tayside neurosurgeon Sam Eljamel have welcomed the appointment of a senior judge to lead an independent probe into the scandal.Health Secretary Neil Gray confirmed to parliament on Thursday that Lord Robert Weir QC would chair the public...

A Dundee mum has revealed how she was left with no feeling on the right-hand side of her body 20 years after disgraced neurosurgeon Sam Eljamel botched her brain tumor surgery. The Courier (DC Thomson), Printed edition 26th February 2024, Online Edition 26th February...

Victims whose lives have been impacted by neurosurgeon Sam Eljamel gathered outside the Scottish Parliament with a coffin to show their anger over public inquiry delays. The Courier (DC Thomson), Printed edition 22nd February 2024 - archived below for public...

Jason Leitch’s links to a former NHS Tayside boss have left him facing more calls to stand down from overseeing investigations into the Sam Eljamel scandal. Scotland’s national clinical director is an associate of Gerry Marr, chief executive of the health board when...

Jason Leitch’s links to a former NHS Tayside boss have left him facing more calls to stand down from overseeing investigations into the Sam Eljamel scandal. Scotland’s national clinical director is an associate of Gerry Marr, chief executive of the health board when...

Under-fire Jason Leitch is receiving updates on the upcoming review into all patients of disgraced NHS Tayside surgeon Sam Eljamel, despite being employed by the health board. The Courier (DC Thomson), 20th February 2024 - archived below for public information....

Under-fire Jason Leitch is receiving updates on the upcoming review into all patients of disgraced NHS Tayside surgeon Sam Eljamel despite being employed by the health board.New SNP health chief Neil Gray admits the national clinical director – who has faced...

Victims of disgraced NHS Tayside surgeon Sam Eljamel will hold a protest outside Holyrood again this week as they demand urgent progress on the long-awaited public inquiry. The Courier (DC Thomson), 19th February 2024 - archived below for public information. Copyright...

The inquiry into former NHS Tayside surgeon Sam Eljamel needs “fresh faces” to avoid breaking campaigners’ trust, Anas Sarwar claimed. The Scottish Labour leader reacted to concerns that government adviser Jason Leitch is too close to the health board, where he was...

A preferred candidate to lead the long-awaited public inquiry into the Eljamel scandal has been identified. It comes days after SNP health chief Michael Matheson said two contenders were in talks over the inquiry and for a separate case review of the former NHS...

Senior health official Jason Leitch is not involved in overseeing investigations into the Eljamel surgery scandal despite officials in his department working on it, the Scottish Government has insisted. Last September campaigners were told by SNP health chief Michael...

Questions have been raised over Professor Jason Leitch’s role at NHS Tayside after it emerged Scotland’s national clinical director is an employee of the health board.The under-fire civil servant is employed by the local authority on “standard NHS consultant terms and...

The Scottish Government is downplaying senior adviser Jason Leitch’s role in setting up investigations into disgraced surgeon Sam Eljamel after a patient backlash.The Courier revealed this week that the under-fire national clinical director was assigned to organise a...

Angry Eljamel campaigners have told of their “disgust” after The Courier revealed Professor Jason Leitch’s key role in a major investigation into all of the disgraced surgeon’s cases. The high-ranking national clinical director was assigned to oversee the organising...

A leading Eljamel campaigner has warned under-fire Professor Jason Leitch must stand down from overseeing an investigation into the cases of patients butchered by the doctor. SNP health chief Michael Matheson told Jules Rose, a patient of the disgraced surgeon, that...

A Kinross woman who helped win a public inquiry into disgraced neurosurgeon Professor Sam Eljamel says “several” TV production companies are keen to turn the campaign into a Post Office-style drama. The Courier (DC Thomson), 17th January 2024 Online - Printed edition...

First Minister Humza Yousaf says victims of disgraced NHS Tayside surgeon Sam Eljamel will see “progress” on the independent inquiry this year. No one has yet been appointed to lead the probe more than four months since The Courier revealed it would be ordered in a...

Disgraced doctor Sam Eljamel has been accused of lying to a Dundee mum who was told he had completely removed her brain tumour. The Ninewells patient, who went under the knife in 1998, thought she had the all-clear after the rogue medic operated on her. But after the...

The first known complaint against disgraced doctor Sam Eljamel during his time working in Dundee was made more than two decades ago, The Courier can reveal. One patient raised concerns about the ex-NHS Tayside neurosurgeon to a medical watchdog 12 years before he was...

Dundee-based MSP Michael Marra told The Courier: "The new chief executive does not have her troubles to seek. The pressures on our local NHS services are signincant and will only increase over the winter months. "From my work with constituents and experts I would...

Concerns about disgraced Dundee surgeon Sam Eljamel’s practice were raised years earlier than previously established, The Courier can reveal. Records from the General Medical Council (GMC) show a complaint was handled by the doctors' watchdog prior to 2008, years...

A leading campaigner harmed by disgraced surgeon Sam Eljamel has taken her complaints about NHS Tayside's role in the scandal to police.Jules Rose wants officers to focus their investigations on the health board's alleged failures to protect patients.The Kinross...

A victim of a disgraced brain surgeon has filed evidence to Police Scotland, accusing NHS Tayside of "reaching the threshold of criminality" while the doctor was "armed with a scalpel". Jules Rose, 55, was one of dozens harmed by Professor Sam Eljamel, who removed her...

The Scottish Government has identified possible candidates to chair up the inquiry into disgraced ex-NHS Tayside surgeon Sam Eljamel. SNP health chief Michael Matheson says discussions are taking place with individuals who could be well placed to oversee the public...

The long-running police probe into disgraced former NHS Tayside neurosurgeon Sam Eljamel has been escalated to a "major investigation". The senior detective who was leading the case told patients a specialist team has taken over the inquiry into whether the rogue...

Victims of disgraced surgeon Sam Eljamel have won another victory in their hunt for answers with a ruling that top UK doctors' watchdog the General Medical Council must reveal complaints lodged against him. Lead campaigner Pat Kelly had pushed for all complaints about...

There's no justice, just us, goes the old gag. But the state of justice at the moment, and the battle that some folk face to achieve it, is no laughing matter. That's why I tip my hat to folk like Pat Kelly and everyone like him fighting for injustice, indifference...

Sir, I welcome the announcement that a full public inquiry will take place into the Sam Eljamel scandal. I thank all those who have campaigned for this (the victims group, individuals and The Courier) on behalf of all of us who have suffered at the hands of the...

Pat Kelly is one of the victims of rogue NHS Tayside surgeon Sam Eljamel and will never forget the moment he feared it was all over. "I nearly died in 2007, a few days after my surgery, when I began to haemorrhage profusely when the wound opened after a collapsed...

Police officers investigating Sam Eljamel fear the disgraced surgeon will never be extradited to Scotland, The Courier can reveal.Dundee detectives have been probing the rogue NHS Tayside doctor's butchery for nearly five years now after complaints from multiple...

Front page: "Campaigners look set to win Eljamel inquiry" Page 6 & 7 - 3 articles: "Government in U-turn on rogue surgeon inquiry", "Heart-rending stories as Eljamel victims stage hospital-themed protest", and "Butcher surgeon who ruined lives could be extradited...

A SURGEON who performed botched operatiom on hundreds of people rould be extradited back to Srotland. Health Secretary Michael Matheson said a recent due diligence report from NHS Tayside into former consultant neurosurgeon Professor Sam Eljamel raised "serious issues...

Page 6: "Fairlie backs calls for Eljamel scandal probe" and "Time limit for Eljamel victims on claims" Perthshire MSP Jim Fairlie has become the first SNP politician to back a public inquiry into the scandal surrounding former Dundee surgeon Sam E]jamel. The Courier...

Page 13: "Jules Rose fears Eljamel may have harmed more than 200 patients" Page 30: "Opinion - Public inquiry is only way to deal with Eljamel scandal" Of interest articles: Page 6 - "NHS Tayside apologises for second data breach" and "[NHS Tayside] Health board is...

Frontpage: "NHS right to say sorry to Eljamel patients, says FM" Page 4 & 5: "Public inquiry calls grow after Eljamel apology", "Surgeon never supervised despite first complaints in 2011", "Yousaf: Commission without judicial powers will get answers for victims"...

NHS Tayside has been criticised over its handling of disgraced brain surgeon Sam Eljamel in a new report. The internal due diligence review criticised health board management for putting the doctor under indirect supervision in June 2013 rather than suspending him....

Frontpage: "Eljamel report to slam NHS bosses" continued on Page 5 article "Shamed doctor still able to carry out 141 surgeries in six months" Page 4: "Key players in scandal of surgeon" NHS Tayside chiefs are slammed over their handling of disgraced surgeon Sam...

Frontpage: "NHS Failed to follow Covid-19 rules" also continued on Page 4+5 Page 4+5: "NHS chief hails staff in his farewell" Page 5: "Eljamel victims fear 'more of the same' when Tayside CEO departs" The Courier (DC Thomson), 22nd August 2023  - archived below for...

Campaigners demanding an inquiry into the scandal surrounding disgraced former NHS Tayside surgeon Sam Eljamel have said claims he was being "supervised" are "farcical". Freedom of informationd ata shows he carried out 141 surgeries from the start of June 2013 until...

NHS Tayside has revealed it is carrying out an ongoing "due diligence" review into all documents held concerning disgraced surgeon Sam Eljamel. The health board confirmed the probe was to "gain a batter organisational understanding" into how health chiefs have handled...

A senior NHS Tayside oncologist refused to be operated on by disgraced surgeon Sam Eljamel and travelled to London instead when she worked for the health board. 'Thank goodness I didn’t let him near me, now these stories have come out - I was fortunate I had the...

Glenrothes grandmother Theresa Mallett welcomed Mr Yousaf into her home just nine days after confronting him during his SNP independence convention speech in Dundee. Even though Theresa told us the meeting was “pleasant”, victims of rogue surgeon Mr Eljamel remain...

Glenrothes grandmother Theresa Mallett welcomed Mr Yousaf into her home just nine days after confronting him during his SNP independence convention speech in Dundee. Even though Theresa told us the meeting was “pleasant”, victims of rogue surgeon Mr Eljamel remain...

NHS Tayside blamed the quality of junior doctors shortly before taking action against the surgeon Sam Eljamel, who is at the centre of a major scandal.These details have emerged from papers released by the Scottish Government, which became the focal point of...

Fife grandmother Theresa Mallett suffered in silence for 11 years after her ordeal at the hands ofdisgraced Dundee surgeon Professor Sam Eljamel. Her protest made national headlines, with Harry Potter author JK Rowling slating Mr Yousaf for putting his hand on the...

Theresa Mallett, from Glenrothes, is quitting the party she has supported for decades in anger over their stance on an investigation into ex-NHS Tayside doctor Sam Eljamel. The Fife grandmother said she decided to "go Rambo" in a bid to make the first minister listen...

Ms Sutherland claims she was used as an experimental study by Eljamel, now thought to be working as a surgeon in Llbya. And she insists the Scottish Government must hold nothing less than a full public inquiry into how he was able to harm patients for so long. Ms...

Mr Yousaf said on Monday a full public probe was not the best path forward for victims of the surgeon seeking justice. The first minister fears an inquiry would struggle to get off the ground since Prof Eljamel fled Scotland years ago and is unlikely to return. [Mr...

The Courier (DC Thomson), 19th June 2023 - archived below for public information. Copyright remains with The Courier.

Front page, Pages 4 and 5, and Opinion Page 30 from The Courier (DC Thomson), 17th June 2023 - archived below for public information. Copyright remains with The Courier.[pdf-embedder...

Demands for "justice" for victims of a scandal-hit former Tayside surgeon are to be taken to the United Nations. The UN's Special Rapporteur for Health will be asked to intervene after calls for a public inquiry were rejected by the Scottish Government. The Courier...

Medical negligence cases against a scandal-hit former Tayside surgeon could take years, it has emerged. Personal injury lawyer Patric McGuire, who is investigating claims from patients of Professor Muftah Salem Elajmel, said the complex nature of these claims means it...

A North East Lib Dem MSP has told health chiefs she wants a "full account" of the scandal-hit legacy of a former Tayside surgeon. Alison McInnes said a "number of questions remain unanswered" despite the Scottish Government ruling out an inquiry after stating it is...

A surgeon alleged to have harmed more than 100 patients will not face a medical tribunal. Professor Sam Eljamel has removed himself from the medical register to avoid a hearing that could have seen him struck off. The Daily Mail, 12th September 2015  - archived below...

A surgeon suspended over concerns about his work will not face a tribunal after he removed himself from the medical register. Professor Sam Eljamel is no longer employed by NHS Tayside following complaints by patients. Many say they are victims of botched surgery and...

The Scottish Government has apologised for the impact on patients of former Ninewells Hospital surgeon Professor Muftah Salem Eljamel. The Governement said it is "very sorry" after a series of operations left patients claiming their long-term health had been affected...

A Tayside surgeon has fallen on his sword before a hearing to decide his medical future. Profressor Muftah Salem Eljamel was being investigated by the General Medical Council (GMC) after he was suspended from Ninewells last year. Mr Eljamel, who subsequently retired...

A national hotline set up to identify possible victims of a former Tayside surgeon has been besieged by calls. Patrick McGuire of Thompsons Solicitors, who previously represented victims of the baby ashes and contaminated blood scandals, said he has been "taken aback"...

Victims have slammed the "brass neck" of a former Tayside surgeon who has gone on a "jolly" to Copacabana Beach in Brazil while they lie bed-ridden. Professor Muftah Salem Eljamel remaind on the International Photodynamic Association (IPA) board of directors despite...

A Forfar woman has backed a call for a public inquiry into the practices of disgraced surgeon Professor Muftah Salem Eljamel, who was suspended from his post as a consultant neurological surgeon in Ninewells Hospital Mrs Gillian Davidson is among dozens of patients...

Some patients "considered suicide" in the aftermath of surgery by a suspended former Tayside surgeon, it has been claimed. Patrick Kelly from Dundee said he has listened to the harrowing tales of former patients of Professor Muftah Salem Eljamel after they got in...

A North-East MSP has urged the health minister to urgently consider opening an investigation into a former Tayside surgeon a mid increasing patient complaints. Alex Johnstone, below, has written to Shona Robison as a number of Professor Muftah Salem Eljamel's former...

The Courier can reveal that a Tayside surgeon at the centre of a growing local health scandal has yet again escaped being struck off.The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service has determined the interim order of conditions against Professor Muftah Salem Eljamel,...

Calls for a public inquiry into the Tayside legacy of a scandal-hit surgeon are to be taken to the door of the First Minister.Patrick Kelly, of Dundee, has written to Nicola Sturgeon calling for a probe into the actions of Professor Muftah Salem Eljamel, who was...

Speaking publicly for the first time, Mrs Williamsons said she was 38 and working as the special needs dancer-in-residencwe with Clackmannanshire Leisure when the first surgery took place in 2000."The operation was, I was led to believe, a success but two weeks later...

A Tayside man has demanded a public inquiry after claiming he was the victim of a "botched operation" by a shamed surgeon.Patrick Kelly who lives in Dundee underwent major back surgery in 2007 by Professor Muftah Salem Eljamel, who was suspended from Ninewells...

One of Scotland's most respected surgeons has been suspended from his post at a leading hospital after a patient underwent surgery - on the wrong spinal disc. Consultant neurosurgeon Professor Muftah Salem Eljamel, 57, has also stepped down from his teaching and...