Surgeon's Botched Operations at Great Ormond Street Leave Children With Life-Altering Injuries
A 'rogue' children's doctor who performed alleged botched surgeries at Great Ormond Street Hospital before moving to Dubai to continue operating has been ditched as a speaker by a major conference, MailOnline can reveal.
Former NHS surgeon Yaser Jabbar, 43, treated 721 children at Great Ormond Street Hospital, leaving some with serious injuries, different leg lengths and even requiring amputation.
Jabbar stopped treating patients at the hospital in 2022 after concerns were raised about his work, before moving to the Middle East and claiming to be one of the most sought-after doctors in his field.
MailOnline revealed yesterday he was living and working in Dubai - speaking about his 'expertise' at conferences and operating on children at the Clemenceau Medical Center and orthopaedic specialists Orthocure.
The MENA International Orthopaedics Congress had previously announced Jabbar as a speaker in July, saying: 'Join us to gain knowledge from his wealth of experience!'
Today the announcement has been deleted from social media and Jabbar's name removed from the conference brochure, with the session he was due to lead marked 'TBC' instead.
Both hospitals Jabbar was working at have also wiped him from their sites since MailOnline got in contact with them on Sunday.
It is understood he had been continuing to operate on both adults and children at the Clemenceau Medical Center (CMC) and was also listed as a consultant at Orthocure, both in Dubai.
CMC described Jabbar as 'internationally sought for both adult and paediatric trauma and reconstruction, and is considered a leading figure in the region.'
It added Jabbar was 'recognised for his expertise and appointed as a consultant limb reconstruction surgeon at the world-renowned Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.'
It made no mention of the reasons for his departure, but did publish a long list of operations he could perform for both adults and children.
Orthocure also heaped praise on Jabbar, describing him as 'internationally sought after' with more than 20 years of clinical experience.
It claimed he has a 'sizable international and embassy patient base'.
Neither MENA, CMC or Orthocure responded to requests for comment.
Concerns Raised About Surgeon's Practices
Jabbar's fall from grace began after colleagues and families began to raise concerns about the treatment provided by the surgeon in London.
He is accused of carrying out an unknown number of unnecessary and harmful surgeries on children as young as four-months old.
He stopped operating at the hospital in late 2022, before embarking on an 11-month fully-paid sabbatical.
Out of just 37 children treated by Jabbar at the hospital who have already been assessed, 22 of them have come to some degree of harm with 13 classed as severe harm, according to leaked documents from a review by the hospital.
One child needed to have a leg amputated following a surgeries carried out by Jabbar and another is facing the threat of amputation.
Some have been left with different length legs, in some cases by as much as 20cm, while other injuries include muscle damage and nerve injuries.
Damning Findings of the Investigation
A confidential report into his work found young patients were subjected to procedures that were not beneficial or justified.
The hospital trust said the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) was asked to review its paediatric orthopaedic service following accusations about the surgeon.
Of the 39 cases that have been reviewed so far, 15 patients have come to no harm, nine have suffered 'low to moderate harm' and 13 have come to 'severe harm' - that is likely to include lifelong injuries, the hospital said.
All 721 patients or their families have been contacted as part of the review, which is expected to take 18 months to complete, Great Ormond Street said.
In one case a child underwent an amputation which, according to the RCS review panel, could possibly have been avoided with a different route of treatment.
Some children suffered leg length discrepancies following operations, which will require years of further treatment.
Mr Jabbar, who no longer works at the London hospital, has not had a licence to practise medicine in the UK since January 8, according to the General Medical Council's website.
Earlier this year, Great Ormond Street Hospital wrote to the families of all children treated by Mr Jabbar, and apologised for any 'worry and uncertainty' the letters about the care provided by him may have caused.
It could now face multiple claims for compensation.
Jabbar's Departure and Continued Career in Dubai
But Jabbar was able to simply leave the UK and continue his career in the UAE, seemingly without interruption.
In May, he spoke at another conference in Dubai where he discussed the role of AI in healthcare.
Posting on social media, Jabbar said at the time: 'Healthcare is in crisis almost universally and presents unique challenges for the personnel journey.
'Hopefully, by sharing the experiences of myself and others we can have a small but profound impact, starting in a region that still has so much to offer.
'Let's not repeat the mistakes of others, but learn and forge a new way'.
Parents Express Outrage
While Jabbar has moved away from UK jurisdiction, parents of his patients at Great Ormond Street have said they are 'very upset' with the treatment that their children received under Jabbar's care.
One father of a six-year-old boy said his child suffered 'terrible pain' after undergoing a lower limb reconstruction in July 2021.
This procedure involved surgically breaking the bone, then inserting metal rings, known as Ilizarov frames, and tension wires to hold the leg in place.
He said that he raised concerns when a different frame was used during the operation.
'After a couple of days the frame became loose and my child was in a lot of pain. You could feel the bone in his leg, which felt out of position, like it wasn't lined up and was protruding the wrong way,' the father told The Times.
'We tried to raise our concerns repeatedly through the official complaints procedure, and I copied the clinical director into many emails, but heard nothing back', he added.
The father said the initial investigation that was carried out left him feeling as if everything was being 'brushed under the carpet' which was 'very upsetting'.
He said his child was in 'terrible pain' and was forced to undergo more surgeries to correct 'errors' made in the initial operation.
Hospital Faces Criticism and Calls for Transparency
A review of the youngster's case found Jabbar's surgery was 'incorrect and unsuitable' for the patient.
An investigation by the hospital comes following a confidential investigation by the Royal College of Surgeons who produced a damning report on Jabbar's practices earlier this year.
It said he had shown 'unacceptable and unprofessional behaviour', which included being aggressive towards colleagues.
During his UK career Jabbar worked across several different hospitals and also travelled abroad to perform operations.
Social media posts show he also participated in teaching exercises at universities including Imperial.
It is understood the concerns relate to lower limb reconstruction, which included limb-lengthening operations involving a clinical device called a Ilizarov frame.
The metal apparatus, invented by Soviet physician Dr. Gavriil Abramovich Ilizarov, is composed of stainless steel rings which are fixed to the bone with wires and pins and is gradually stretched to lengthen the bones.
The functions of the apparatus were derived from the mechanics of a shaft bow on a horse's harness.
Jabbar left Great Ormond Street last September after an 11-month sabbatical on full pay that he took after concerns were raised about his practices.
A spokesperson for Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children said: 'We are committed to learning from every single patient that we treat, and to being open and transparent with our families when care falls below the high standards we strive for.
'Following concerns raised by our staff and families, we asked the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) to review our paediatric orthopaedic service. We accept the findings in full and are taking steps to act on all its recommendations.
'As part of the review, the RCS raised concerns around the practice of a surgeon who no longer works at the Trust, and other practice within the service. We are taking these concerns incredibly seriously.
'We have contacted all patients of the surgeon and a group of independent experts from other paediatric hospitals are reviewing the care of all the patients of this surgeon. We are incredibly sorry for the worry and uncertainty this review may cause them.
'There are a number of clear routes for staff to raise concerns – the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian service, the Patient Safety team, any member of the Executive team and a Non-Executive Director with responsibility for Freedom to Speak Up.
'Despite thorough investigations, we can find no records of concerns being raised by any of these routes prior to June 2022.
'Staff made senior management aware of concerns in June 2022 and a fact-finding investigation started shortly after, with follow up actions and reviews to address immediate issues, leading us to contact the RCS within 18 working days from the point senior management were made aware to discuss commissioning an external review.
'Following the return of the reports from the RCS, our Orthopaedic Service Review Improvement Programme has since April 2024 been overseeing work to review the patients of the surgeon and wider service improvement work. We apologise to patients and families who have been impacted.
'Reviews into services or individuals are an important part of our work to ensure the quality and safety of our services. We will ensure that the all the findings of this review are addressed at pace, and we will reflect on any wider learnings around our culture.
'We have contacted all patients and families who have been impacted and where harm has been identified, discussed their cases with them under our duty of candour. To all of them, we wish to convey our sincere apologies.'
Families Seek Justice
Solicitor Caroline Murgatroyd, who is leading the firm’s work on the case, said the RCS review has painted a ‘very worrying picture’ of the treatment provided to children by Jabbar.
In one case a child underwent an amputation which the review panel found could possibly have been avoided with a different route of treatment. There were also references to children undergoing surgery where there was no justification and where patients received no clear benefit.
NHS claims costs continue to rise - what next?
Murgatroyd said: ‘[The reviews] outline unacceptable assessments, examinations, clinical decision-making, and treatments of patients, poor communication with families with regards to seeking their consent for treatments and procedures, as well as failures to make it clear what kind of complications children could face after undergoing surgery.
‘The initial findings we have seen indicates there may have been serious failures in care to many patients, over a number of years, and certainly at this stage, from the cases we have seen details on, it appears the hospital may be facing many claims for compensation.’
Great Ormond Street Hospital says it is 'deeply sorry to all patients who received poor care'
Source: Alamy
Claims are being pursued by families of children aged four months through to teenagers, who were treated by Jabbar between February 2018 and May 2022.
Independent medical experts are now being asked to assess all cases as claims are put together.
Allegations of mistreatment were first reported in the Sunday Times over the weekend, prompting Great Ormond Street Hospital to release a statement.
The hospital said: ‘We take the issues raised in the article incredibly seriously and know they will be worrying for patients and families. We are deeply sorry to all patients who received poor care and understand that this may have had a significant impact on their health and wellbeing.
‘In 2022 we asked the Royal College of Surgeons to review our paediatric orthopaedic service, after concerns were raised by a number of our patient families and staff. As part of this, we are carrying out a review into the care of some of our patients. We have written directly to all patients and their families whose care is being reviewed so please be assured you would have been contacted if we are looking at your care. The surgeon who is the main focus in the media coverage has not worked at GOSH since 2022.'
The BBC has reported that Jabbar has not had a licence to practise medicine in the UK since January and he is now thought to be working in Dubai.
A Call for Transparency and Accountability
The scandal has sparked calls for greater transparency and accountability from Great Ormond Street Hospital, as well as for the publication of the RCS report, which details the findings of the investigation into Jabbar's practices.
The hospital has been urged to release the report to the public to ensure that families who were affected by Jabbar's treatment have access to all of the information about what happened.
Families are calling for justice and accountability, as they grapple with the long-term consequences of the botched surgeries that their children endured. The scandal has raised serious questions about the safety of healthcare in the UK and the need for better oversight of surgeons' practices, particularly in specialist hospitals like Great Ormond Street.
Learning from the Past
The case of Yaser Jabbar is a stark reminder of the importance of patient safety and the need for robust systems to protect vulnerable patients from harm. It also underscores the importance of transparency and accountability in healthcare, as well as the need for greater vigilance when it comes to monitoring the practices of surgeons, especially those who operate on children. The scandal has shaken the public's trust in Great Ormond Street Hospital, and it will be essential for the hospital to demonstrate that it is taking the necessary steps to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again.
