Police are building a criminal case against a disgraced former Tayside surgeon, The Courier can reveal.
Lengthy interviews have taken place into Muftah Salem Eljamel’s alleged failures during his time at Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital.
Gillian Davidson, 59, from Forfar, said she received an email from police asking her to make a statement and spoke with officers for several hours about her experience.
Mrs Davidson – who claimed she was left in agony following a routine back operation – said she was left in no doubt that police are working to “build a case” against Mr Eljamel and the evidence being gathered will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.
Statements were previously made by William Murray, 67, of Auchterarder, Patrick Kelly, 58, from Dundee, and Jules Rose, 50, from Kinross, which has also prompted more alleged victims to come forward to police.
Mr Murray went in for spinal surgery at Ninewells Hospital following a “neck hernia” and claimed Mr Eljamel opened him up but didn’t carry out the operation.
Mr Murray said the “ghost surgery” ruined his life.
He said: “I’m just recovering from more surgery on my spine to try and relieve chronic pain inflicted upon me for the past 10 years by Eljamel’s ambivalence and severe failings in mistreatment.
“I must commend the NHS staff and the more streamlined system in place since I was last here 10 years ago.
“Likewise, I must commend Police Scotland for advancing the criminal case against Eljamel and health and safety failings by NHS Tayside.
“The police I have dealt with were excellent.”
Former Dundee DJ Pat Kelly, 58, demanded Police Scotland launch a criminal inquiry after claiming he was the victim of a “botched operation” by Mr Eljamel in 2007.
Mr Kelly continues to suffer chronic back pain and believes the operation was never actually carried out — despite the fact he was opened up on the operating table.
He said: “This is positive news for sufferers of Eljamel.
“This has been a long hard fight for all of us and it continues.
“Even today NHS Tayside are still refusing to accept any responsibility for Eljamel’s actions.
“Police Scotland’s involvement with this investigation gives us some hope so we can eventually move on.
“I had always hoped that Eljamel would be held to account for his alleged deeds.
“In my case I believe this was not a medical mistake.
“The police investigation is still a long way off but we appear to be heading in the right direction.
“At long last it seems we are being listened to.”
Mr Eljamel remains the subject of civil cases in relation to surgery carried out which are still going through the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “A number of people have been spoken to by Police Scotland.
“We are currently obtaining all relevant information from these people and assessing it.”
Fall from grace of a respected surgeon
Mr Eljamel — who had been a consultant neurological surgeon at NHS Tayside since 1995 — was suspended in 2014 after a patient had surgery on the wrong spinal disc at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.
He also had to step down from his teaching and research posts at Dundee University after the interim order by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service.
The GMC later allowed Mr Eljamel to remove himself from the medical register, after ruling it was in the best interests of patients.
A national hotline was subsequently set up to identify possible victims of Mr Eljamel and was besieged by calls.
The Scottish Government said it was “very sorry” after a series of operations left patients claiming their long-term health had been affected – but it ruled out an inquiry, stating it was “satisfied” that a “thorough and wide-ranging” investigation by NHS Tayside would “prevent this happening again in future”.
Mr Eljamel was involved in a series of controversies after giving up his licence to practice.
He continued to jet around the globe on speaking engagements and faced a suggestion of apparent misrepresentation by Dundee and Liverpool universities.
At the start of this year Mr Eljamel sold his house in Newport, Fife, to prepare for a new life abroad.
The 61-year-old also applied for his Edinburgh neurosurgery business to be struck off and dissolved.
He is understood to have property and a neurosurgery business in America and he also has links to the Philippines.
