Email to Humza Yousaf, First Minister of Scotland, and Michael Matheson, Health Secretary, by Pat Kelly – recipients also included Liz Smith MSP and other cross-party MSPs as well as Jules Rose, and BBC.
From: Pat Kelly <*************>
Date: 20 July 2023 at 10:29:55 BST
To: [email protected], [email protected], Liz Smith MSP <*************@parliament.scot>, Michael Marra MSP” <*************@parliament.scot>, Jackie Baillie MSP <*************@parliament.scot>, Willie Rennie MSP <*************@parliament.scot>, Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP <*************@parliament.scot>, Anas Sarware MSP <*************@parliament.scot>, Jules Rose <*************>, Lucy Adams BBC <*************@bbc.co.uk>, Elizabeth Rose <*************@lemac.co.uk>
Subject: Eljamel and Dundee University
Dear Mr Yousaf & Mr Matheson,
In the Evening Telegraph on 20 July 2023, I noted the headline, “Inquiry Into Surgeon Could Be Soon, says Yousaf.” That headline should have added, “This inquiry will go ahead without any patient’s involvement” because that is exactly what is going to happen. What a fiasco this inquiry will turn out to be without patients’ cooperation. I hope you have a Plan B because Plan A is out the window before it has even begun.
Now, I would like to highlight a major issue that is going to be released to the media soon. Dundee University have had an easy time over this Eljamel fiasco but that is about to change. We now know that Sam Eljamel was an employee of Dundee University, so what is going on here? Given this fact, it is perfectly clear that we now require a full Public Inquiry into this surgeon’s contract of employment between Dundee University and NHS Tayside.
Three doctors told the BBC that “Mr Eljamel discouraged the use of X-rays because he was so arrogant and because it saved him money.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65904293 What does that statement mean “saved HIM money?” Was Eljamel paid per operation by NHS Tayside? What was the financial agreement between Dundee University and NHS Tayside regarding this surgeon? Was Eljamel on some bonus payment scheme if he carried out an operation more quickly, would he make more money?
On page 10 of the Royal College of Surgeons Report it said that he “cut corners.” The Report also said that “A number of individuals stated that Professor Eljamel tried to push through as many spinal cases as he could, and that sometimes these procedures were rushed.” Rushing procedures on patients? This is an unbelievable statement, and again, was this down to a financial bonus scheme for Eljamel? There are serious questions which need answering here.
A recent survey was carried out by “The Eljamel Patients Action Group” and they have discovered that 11 patients have suffered botched brain surgery at the hands of Eljamel. The dates range from 1995 right up to his suspension in December 2013. This is a national disgrace and requires serious medical and clinical investigation. Why did NHS Tayside ignore brain surgical procedures when they called in the Royal College of Surgeons? If Eljamel was botching spinal procedures, then the likelihood was he was conducting negligent brain surgical procedures as well. NHS Tayside knew what was going on in this critical area of surgery but fully understood what the consequences would be if it were found out.
We have to seriously look at the possibility that Eljamel being an employee of Dundee University was experimenting on some of these patients. One patient went under Eljamel’s knife seven times! The patient said she felt like she was a guinea pig. She was right. We have to find out what the “new glue” Eljamel said he would use on her? Was this glue up to national medical safety standards? Was it one of his own inventions? The patient also said the glue was part of a “research trial.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65904293
While employed at Dundee University and NHS Tayside, Sam Eljamel wrote or participated in a huge amount of research papers. How did he manage to carry out all of his duties with a huge amount of research combined with his teaching work, medical procedures, consulting patients, private medical work, legal medico work, talks abroad etc? There are so many questions to answer about how he managed to cope with all this workload. Then there were his research trials. Were patients involved in these trials? If they were, did they know about this? Also, there were his inventions and patents. Does he receive any payment for usage of these patents and inventions?
There are so many unanswered questions surrounding this rogue surgeon that only a Public Inquiry can resolve them. A government-led inquiry is not an option and you know this. Patients know what Eljamel did to them – we don’t need any government inquiry to tell us. We don’t need a government to patronise us with statements such as “you will be listened to,” or “lessons have now been learnt.” We want action and accountability, not weasel words. We want to know who knew what and when and why did Eljamel get away with this for so long. It is a sad thing to say, but Shipman would have been safe in Scotland and that is no exaggeration.
Finally, very soon the DWP and the Metropolitan Police will be contacted with regards to the HSE’s failure to carry out their legal and legislative duty to enforce the law on patient safety in Scotland.
Regards,
Pat Kelly