A health care complaints board has attempted to extend the limits on Charlie Theo’s medical license, claiming the neurosurgeon was untrustworthy and changed his evidence through disciplinary hearings.
Key Point:
- At the hearing, it was said that Dr. Theo was not a credible witness.
- Outside the hearing, Dr. Teo was once again greeted by former patients and supporters
- Dr Teo is currently not allowed to operate in Australia without written permission from a fellow neurosurgeon
A noted neurosurgeon, he is fighting a panel of two complaints about two female patients who did not recover after Dr. Teo attempted to remove their brain tumors.
On the seventh day of the hearing in Sydney, the Commission’s barrister, Kate Richardson SC, accused Dr Theo of altering evidence throughout the hearing and asked the New South Wales Medical Council panel to sue the surgeon. I requested that the explanation be dismissed as unreliable.
In closing her submission, she told the panel, Dr Theo’s witness statement told one of her patients, a woman in her 40s from Western Australia, that her tumor was the “optic lid” on the roof of her brainstem. It shows that he said
But she said Dr. Teo changed the evidence after hearing another neurosurgeon witness say that removing such a tumor would pose a “60% risk of death.”
“He lied and deliberately tried to evade his own expert evidence,” Richardson said.
“Dr. Theo should not be accepted as a trustworthy witness.
“His evidence should not be accepted unless corroborated by other material.”
Dr. Teo is currently not allowed to operate in Australia without the written permission of a fellow neurosurgeon.
She also accused Dr. Teo of altering the evidence about where in the woman’s brain he operated on.
The Western Australian woman’s husband told a hearing last month that Dr Theo had suggested sticking to one side of his wife’s brain during surgery to avoid “dire consequences”.
However, under cross-examination, Dr. Teo said he had actually cut both sides of his brain, explaining that he was trying to remove the entire tumor.
Richardson said Dr. Teo changed the evidence after the panel received a post-operative MRI of the woman’s brain. This clearly shows where the surgery was performed.
“He could no longer maintain a position stuck to one side of his brainstem,” she said.
“He has not been candid with this committee.”
After being questioned by his own attorney earlier in the day, Dr. Teo said it may have crossed “a millimeter or two” across the midline of the woman’s brain.
“If you’re doing surgery in this area, it’s enough to damage the patient,” he said.
“I mean, I’ve clearly gone too far.”
Outside the hearing, Dr. Theo was once again greeted by former patients and supporters and held autographs.
He told the media that the bad results from his surgery were unintentional.
“It’s not out of malice. It’s not out of negligence. It’s not out of dishonesty. It’s just doing our best. And sometimes things don’t turn out the best,” he said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-28/charlie-teo-commission-extend-restrictions-medical-licence/102153808 Charlie Theo Hearings Hear Bid to Extend Limits on Neurosurgeons’ Medical Licensing