Professor Sam Eljamel victims 'increasingly frustrated and impatient' for Scottish public inquiry to begin

Victims of rogue neurosurgeon Professor Sam Eljamel have returned to the Scottish Parliament calling on the government to give an update on a public inquiry

Professor Sam Eljamel victims ‘increasingly frustrated and impatient’ for Scottish public inquiry to begin

The victims of rogue neurosurgeon Professor Sam Eljamel say they are getting “increasingly frustrated and impatient” at having to wait so long for a public inquiry to start.

After years of campaigning, the Scottish Government agreed in September to hold a public inquiry into Eljamel, who carried out hundreds of botched operations at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.

He had been head of neurosurgery at the hospital until he was suspended in 2013.

However, after 166 days with no further updates, the group says it is left with “no option” but to come back to the Scottish Parliament and hold another protest because of the “ongoing delays and dithering” from the Government.

They say they still do not have a timeline for when the inquiry will start or when individuals will get a one-to-one clinical review.

The group stood around a coffin and held up signs describing the impact the botched surgeries have had on them at a demonstration held outside Holyrood on Wednesday afternoon.

One protester called Susan said they woke up in the middle of their surgery and suffered a stroke, and now have no memories from before their operation. She now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, constant headaches and pain.

Another called Bex said she was forced to leave school at the age of 13 and become a carer for her mum, who had been operated on by Eljamel.

One woman called Helen said they were so desperate they tried to take their own life because they “just don’t want to go on anymore”. Others recounted years of disability, pain and nerve damage.

Health secretary Neil Gray spoke to the protestors at Holyrood and said he hoped it would be weeks, rather than months, before an inquiry chair was appointed. He said the Government was “making progress” and that he wanted to show his support for the victims.

Mr Gray said: “I understand the need for answers because lives have been lost and people are desperate to get answers. I want to see this happen as quickly as possible.”

Lead campaigner Jules Rose said she was “dubious” about the promises the health secretary made. She said the group had sent a “strong signal” to the Government.

Ms Rose was Eljamel’s last victim – he removed her healthy tear gland instead of a brain tumour.

She told The Scotsman: “If think if Neil Gray has not got a clear message before, he will now. We are getting increasingly frustrated and impatient. The Government needs to stop kicking 172 cans down the street – enough is enough.

“We have waited 166 days. I sincerely hope it will not be weeks until we get an inquiry chair, and I will be knocking on the health secretary’s door.”

Ms Rose said Mr Gray had invited her to attend a meeting with him to discuss the public inquiry and the one-to-one clinical reviews that have been promised.