A leading campaigner harmed by the disgraced ex-Dundee 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 mum, who was a central voice in the successful fight to secure a public inquiry, was operated on by Eljamel twice when he should not have been allowed.
During her first surgery in August 2013, the medic removed her tear gland instead of a tumour.
Ms Rose went to Bell Street police station in Dundee on Wednesday afternoon to present evidence to officers and formally lodge her complaint against the health board.
A police investigation into Eljamel’s behaviour is ongoing.
Speaking to The Courier, she said: “The evidence I’ve collated regarding my own situation I feel reaches the threshold of criminality.
“Over the years NHS Tayside has received reports, reviews, complaints, warnings, they’ve had serious adverse event reviews, and they’ve just acted impervious to the lot.
“They need to be held to account now.”
Eljamel ‘should have been suspended’
A hard-hitting NHS Tayside report earlier this year found Eljamel should have been suspended in June 2013 instead of being placed under light-touch supervision for six months.
It emerged he was never directly monitored in the operating theatre, and complaints about his malpractice had been made as early as 2011.
More than 100 patients who were operated on by Eljamel when he should have been suspended were sent apology letters by the health board.
Ms Rose and fellow campaigner Pat Kelly, who was also harmed by Eljamel, first complained to police about the neurosurgeon in 2018.
Police say their inquiries into Eljamel will cover all circumstances surrounding the scandal, including the actions of NHS Tayside.
Officers first began the investigation into the doctor five years ago, but are still working to establish criminality.
A spokesperson for the force told us: “Enquiries are ongoing and we continue to work alongside partner agencies.”
Last month, we revealed the probe into the disgraced doctor has now been escalated into a “major investigation”.
Patients were told a specialist team has taken over the inquiry into whether Eljamel’s actions can be deemed criminal.
In September, we revealed police fear the neurosurgeon will never be extradited to Scotland, since he fled to home country Libya years ago.
Lodging her complaint, Ms Rose said health board bosses had failed to be fully transparent even when they published their shocking report in August.
She questioned why it was not mentioned that Eljamel – in his post as a senior surgeon – was regularly able to interfere with reviews of serious clinical incidents.
NHS Tayside ‘failed’ duty of care
Ms Rose added: “NHS Tayside failed in their duty of care to me, and they failed to provide the level of care required by statutory law.”
Mid Scotland and Fife Tory MSP Liz Smith said: “Jules Rose speaks for so many former patients of Professor Eljamel when she says that lives have been ruined.
“This is not just because of the medical malpractice of the neurosurgeon himself but because of the complete lack of oversight of his medical practices.
“There appears to be substantial evidence that several key people knew that there were very serious concerns, yet nothing was done to address them.”
An NHS Tayside spokesperson said: “It would not be appropriate for us to comment.”
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