We would be interested to know what you all think of this. To me personally, it sounds a bit fishy, though, I will reserve my judgements till we get more information.
The Sydney Morning Herald/The Age has reported that Dr Teo has been restricted from performing certain brain surgeries unless he gets permission from independent surgeons to do so. This comes after a number of complaints from other surgeons which led to an urgent hearing on this issue with the regulators last week.
The complaints apparently originate from surgeons and specialists complaining that after he performs his risky surgeries the patients are left financially strapped in the public system and need to crowdfund or somehow raise money to pay for their post operation care needs. The complaint states that this is a risk to public safety. Here is more from the Sydney Morning Herald/The Age:
The Herald’s investigation revealed that many patients without health insurance were crowdfunding, mortgaging their houses or borrowing money to meet the $100,000-plus cost for a brain tumour operation with Dr Teo in Sydney’s Prince of Wales Private.
A Melbourne neurosurgeon recalled being on call at Royal Melbourne Hospital one Friday night when he “received a call to say a patient had arrived back from Sydney from surgery from Charlie Teo”.
The neurosurgeon said a patient had arrived unannounced in the emergency department with cerebrospinal fluid [brain fluid] leaking from the nose “after a curative operation by Charlie in Sydney”.
Dr Teo has issued a press statement and this is what it said (via Sydney Morning Herald/The Age):
“The Medical Council’s direction to consult with another neurosurgeon on two rare types of surgery and will also have retrospective discussions with a colleague to review outcomes.”
On Tuesday, a statement from Dr Teo said the conditions imposed by the council “do not impact Dr Teo’s surgical procedures and will involve greater consultation – not a second opinion – with another neurosurgeon in relation to operations for two rare types of cancer.”
“My patients are my sole priority and accommodating these conditions will not affect the care that I have always taken in prolonging their lives,”
Let us know what you think?
Images via Sydney Morning Herald/The Age