Victims of disgraced Dundee surgeon Professor Sam Eljamel wore hospital gowns splattered with fake blood as they ramped up their demands for a public inquiry at the Scottish Parliament.
Campaigners who suffered at the rogue doctor’s hands on the operating table chanted and held up banners outside Holyrood as they continued their push for a full independent probe.
Prof Eljamel left patients with lifelong injuries after botching operations between 1995 and 2013 while he was employed by NHS Tayside.
He was ordered to pay one victim £2.8 million in compensation for his mistakes and even removed the wrong part of another woman’s body.
Campaigners say they have unanswered questions about why Prof Eljamel was able to harm patients for so long before NHS Tayside became aware.
However, they have hit a brick wall in their demands for a public inquiry with the Scottish Government.
SNP health chief Michael Matheson is happy to grant one-on-one independent reviews, but victims warn this is not good enough.
Lead campaigner Jules Rose – who had a tear gland removed by Prof Eljamel instead of a tumour – said only a public inquiry will satisfy those who protested.
She said: “We are not going away. We are up to 99 patients that have been harmed by Professor Eljamel.
“My concern is Michael Matheson has lost control, and it’s NHS Tayside calling the shots here. It’s a bit like the tail wagging the dog.”
Ms Rose said health board officials are yet to offer her the help she was previously promised by the Scottish Government.
She told us: “NHS Tayside continues to delay, prevaricate and answer deadlines given to them. I’ve been waiting over 13 months to receive the care and support that was agreed.”
Theresa Mallett, who stays in Glenrothes, claims she has been left with lasting injuries since Prof Eljamel operated on her in 2012.
The grandmother, aged 61, has been a strong supporter of the SNP, but warned she plans to tear up her membership card if a public inquiry is not granted.
She told us: “I don’t have any answers at the moment, and I’ve been fobbed off. I want answers.”
Campaigners previously protested outside Holyrood last November, when First Minister Humza Yousaf was still health secretary.
‘Unfit’
In March, victims of disgraced Prof Eljamel warned Mr Yousaf was “unfit” for the top job due to his handling of their demands.
Mid Scotland and Fife Tory MSP Liz Smith said: “Patients at the heart of this appalling scandal must urgently hear that Michael Matheson and Humza Yousaf will finally address their long-standing concerns.
“Nobody is taking responsibility for this scandalous failure within our health system which is unacceptable.”
Last December, we revealed the rogue surgeon – who has fled Scotland – lied on his own website about completing a specialist degree in the United States.
He also paid for a fake Man of the Year Award to boost his own CV, raising further questions over his tenure in Tayside.
An NHS Tayside spokesperson said: “The NHS Tayside medical director and chief executive met with the cabinet secretary and local Tayside MSPs in April to discuss the ongoing concerns of patients of Professor Eljamel.
“It was agreed at the meeting that NHS Tayside would work with Scottish Government regarding the next steps to support individual patients through a process independent of both the health board and government.”
The Scottish Government was approached for comment.