Victims of Sam Eljamel are poised for a dramatic victory today with the Scottish Government looking set to announce a public inquiry into the butcher NHS Tayside surgeon.
There were strong signals on Thursday that Health Secretary Michael Matheson will perform the dramatic volte-face in a parliamentary statement at Holyrood this afternoon.
It follows months of pressure and a long-running campaign for a full inquiry, by those who went under Eljamel’s knife, to discover how the surgeon was able to do so much harm.
The signs of campaigners’ demands being agreed to were bolstered when patient representatives were invited to a private meeting with Mr Matheson prior to today’s Holyrood statement.
Pressure also mounted after SNP MSP Jim Fairlie came out in favour of a public inquiry – the first from his party to do so.
He said in a letter to the health secretary there “real concerns” anything short of a public inquiry would not get to the bottom of the scandal.
His intervention came after a meeting with lead campaigner Jules Rose, who had hear tear gland removed by Eljamel instead of a tumour when he should have been suspended.
The Courier can reveal the decision on whether to hold a public inquiry over the previously floated independent commission was also discussed at the Scottish Government cabinet meeting this week.
Independent commission proposal
Until now the government has insisted a “suitably independent” commission could investigate Eljamel’s work and how NHS Tayside handled the scandal.
But such a probe would lack the power to compel witnesses and take evidence under oath, something campaigners argue is crucial to gaining their confidence.
Eljamel’s victims first started pushing for a full public inquiry in 2015 but their demands were rebuffed by Deputy First Minister Shona Robison, health secretary at the time.
In June, First Minister Humza Yousaf said he was opposed to a public inquiry since the Libyan, believed to be working in his homeland, was unlikely to return to Scotland.
But campaigners have repeatedly said the focus of any probe must primarily be on the health board’s failings.
The SNP leader also warned a public inquiry could take years, and claimed an independent review may be a quicker way for patients to get answers.
However, Eljamel’s victims have pointed out the process could have been finished by now had the Scottish Government taken action years ago.
Last week a bombshell report criticised bosses at NHS Tayside for allowing the disgraced medic to continue operating with only light-touch supervision even after concerns had been raised about his practices.
The report also revealed concerns about him were raised as early as 2011 by a patient – a significant change in the health board’s timeline.
Previous reviews into the fiasco surrounding the bungling doctor found he left junior doctors to carry out surgeries on their own when they should have been monitored.
One of those operated on by the neurosurgeon, Leann Sutherland, says she was left in so much pain she begged her mum to suffocate her.
The 33-year-old businesswoman’s ordeal began in 2010 when she was sent for a scan after constantly suffering from migraines.
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