Pressure is growing on Police Scotland to launch a criminal inquiry into the actions of a scandal-hit surgeon.
The force confirmed another complaint about Muftah Salem Eljamel’s alleged failures has been lodged by a former patient.
William Murray, 67, of Auchterarder made a major incident statement just days after Patrick Kelly, 58, from Dundee, and Jules Rose, 50, from Kinross, made a complaint to police and demanded “real action”.
The patients also want to see NHS Tayside investigated under health and safety legislation.
Mr Murray, originally from Montrose, worked across the world for 28 years for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission before retiring to Auchterarder in October 2007.
He 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 he was forced to undergo emergency medical treatment in Belgium four months later which has stopped him from spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
He said he has been left with “serious health issues” and nothing can be done to take away the pain he suffers from following the operation.
“I commenced proceedings to start a civil claim late in 2009 but withdrew from that in 2010 due to severe depression brought on by my experiences with Mr Eljamel and NHS Tayside’s constant denials,” he said.
“I got over things slowly and was eventually accepting of the law, but to know Mr Eljamel and NHS Tayside have ruined my life and that of so many others has upset me once again and I shall not sit back and watch them walk away scot-free.
“I want criminal charges brought against them both and would ask more people who have been physically and detrimentally affected by Mr Eljamel to go to Police Scotland and make a major incident statement.”
Mr Eljamel — who had been a consultant neurological surgeon at NHS Tayside from 1995 — was suspended in 2014 after a patient had surgery on the wrong spinal disc at Ninewells Hospital.
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 it was besieged by calls.
Health secretary Jeane Freeman said: “I have written to all NHS Boards in Scotland seeking assurance that processes are in place for Boards to detect and to respond to clusters of complaints about the same staff member and to clarify what arrangements are in place for ensuring timely decision making when the safety of practice of a consultant is raising concern.”
North East region Scottish Conservative MSP Bill Bowman said: “Health boards need to have an open and transparent process to identify alleged patterns of behaviour.
“That’s the only way to guarantee fairness for patients and staff members.”
Police Scotland said Mr Murray’s complaint has been received and is currently being assessed.
