Yasser Jabbar: Mother of girl operated on by notorious surgeon says hospital ‘gassed’ her

The mother of a teenage girl operated on by a disgraced surgeon at a famous London children’s hospital says she should never have been left in his care.

Judy Seeley has told BBC Newsnight that she is considering legal action after Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), which she accuses of “gaslighting” Yasser Jabbar with her daughter Alana. The operation was allowed even after complaints of its misconduct surfaced.

Mr Jabbar left the hospital in 2023 after an inquiry by the Royal College of Surgeons found he had carried out “wrong” or “inappropriate” surgery in a number of cases.

A GOSH spokeswoman said it understood why “Alana and her family are upset”, adding that “we are sorry that they feel that information has been withheld from them”.

Mr Jabbar operated on Jody’s daughter in 2022, when she was eight, to insert metal plates into her knees to lengthen and straighten the leg.

He was a leading surgeon at a reputed hospital, operating on children with complex disorders and performing procedures like Ulana.

The hospital has since commissioned independent reports of each of its 723 patients, to determine the level of harm they suffered.

Some cases related to this resulted in life-long injuries and damage including amputations.

Judy, from Essex, told the BBC’s Newsnight program that she had no idea of ​​the doctor’s reputation when her daughter Alana was referred for her care in 2021.

At the time, concerns had already been raised about Mr. Jabbar.

At the family’s first consultation in March 2021, which lasted “about five minutes”, Mr Jabbar suggested invasive surgery, he said.

“We didn’t want to rock the boat too much because he seemed to know exactly what he was doing,” she said.

“So we went with him thinking he was an orthopedic surgeon, this is great Ormond Street. [Hospital]. We trusted him.”

The operation took place 10 months later, in January 2022. During this period, there were more professional complaints from other surgeons with hospital managers.

None of this was ever disclosed to Jody or other families of Mr. Jabbar’s patients.

She said the surgery seemed to be going well and after Alana’s leg was bandaged, there were no immediate problems.

But when the bandage came off a few weeks later, Jodi saw two scars on the inside of her baby’s leg instead of the one she had been told would be just an incision.

“So that’s when alarm bells started ringing,” he said.

As the weeks passed, Alana’s movement, now 11, was not improving and she was reporting frequent pains, often requiring painkillers.

Judy said she first thought: “Well, maybe it didn’t work? Maybe it wasn’t the right procedure and it will be removed? Or maybe it’s too early to tell?”

She said she expected a regular check-up at the hospital, but the follow-up appointment did not come until six months after the operation.

Alana had plates in her knees for about two years. Judy says she saw another surgeon at a follow-up at the hospital in July, six months after the operation, who advised her not to come out.

Then by chance he saw Mr. Jabbar on the same visit.

Judy says she took one look and said they “need to come out right away” and told the family to come back the next day for another major operation.

Judy says she told the family she was worried Alana’s tendons might be reattached to the metal plates.

“We were really nervous, we were really worried…. [thinking] ‘What did we do, is he OK, is this long-term damage?’

He returned to the hospital in August 2022 to have the plates removed.

But the family’s concerns were now so severe that they transferred Alana to a different hospital months later.

During this period she suffered from loss of mobility and other problems.

Judy says she was not told of any wrongdoing in Mr Jabbar’s work until February this year, more than 16 months later.

She says the hospital notified her in a short letter with only a few details.

“It looked like a normal letter…nothing to worry about,” she said.

He did not realize the extent of Mr. Jabbar’s reported misconduct until media reports surfaced.

“I didn’t realize the scale of it or what actually happened or that there were so many complaints,” he added.

And he noted that the most “disturbing” factor was that the hospital released the comments to the media at a time when it had not even informed patients and their families.

“I just felt sick, to be honest,” he said. “So obviously there was a disaster. As a parent, obviously you want to protect your child, that’s the number one priority. And I knew something was wrong when we saw it.”

Judy says her daughter should never have been placed in the surgeon’s care and accuses the hospital of a cultural and widespread cover-up.

He told the BBC he heard from the hospital shortly before speaking to reporters.

He said it could be a coincidence or “they were pushed to do this because they knew I would come to talk to you today”.

“It actually feels like they’re gaslighting the whole way,” he added.

Judy said she and her family were very private but felt compelled to speak out so other victims could know she was “not alone”.

“It’s really important for other people to know what’s happened and to understand that if they’re also being gaslighted, that they’re not alone,” he said. No, that’s what’s happening.”

A GOSH spokeswoman said it was tragic for all the families concerned, adding that following the Royal College of Surgeons report, it had asked external experts to review all of Mr Jabbar’s patients.

The statement continued: “They are working at speed. […] We understand why Alana and her family are worried. […] And we have reached them.

“We regret that they feel that information was withheld from them. Once concerns were raised about the surgeon’s practice in June 2022, we shared this with the General Medical Council and quickly During this period the surgeon’s practice was curtailed […] And always as part of a wider surgical team.

“Then we had to establish the facts before sharing the information with patients.

“We are now regularly updating patients on the progress of the review.

“We are aware that there were concerns regarding specific patients in 2021 that were raised as formal incidents and have been fully investigated. The findings of each individual case and collectively the extent to which further action may be initiated at this time.” was not activated.”

GOSH’s actions have been under constant fire since Mr Jabbar’s departure.

This year the hospital has commissioned independent reports of each of its 723 patients, to determine the level of harm they suffered.

But families who have received results in recent weeks. The reviews were misrepresented and even a “Whitewash” What did their children experience?

Parents have told the BBC how the hospital “failed their children” and damaged them physically and mentally.

The BBC has spoken to at least four families – and indirectly contacted 12 more – who say the reports do not reflect their children’s experiences or minimize their pain and suffering. are

The reviews, carried out by specialist surgeons who did not work at GOSH, were based on patient notes provided by the hospital.

Many reports were made without even interviewing the patient or their family.