The father of a six-year-old girl who was operated on by former surgeon Dr Yaser Jabbar multiple times over 15 months is among the first to be told she suffered harm during her care.
Dean Stalham’s daughter Bunty was born with the rare bone condition neurofibromatosis.
It means she has been in and out of hospital since she was 18 months old but was placed under the care of the former consultant orthopaedic surgeon in 2018.
During her time in Dr Jabbar’s care at Great Ormond Street Hospital, her family say she underwent multiple “unsuccessful and painful” procedures which ultimately led to her leg being amputated below the knee.
The hospital is reviewing the care of hundreds of children seen by Dr Jabbar.
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Some 700 cases are being investigated in total and a select number of families have heard back already, including Bunty’s.
The review of her care – shown to Sky News – revealed that she had suffered moderate physical and mild psychological harm.
Speaking to Sky News, her father Dean Stalham said: “He [Dr Jabbar] was trying to save a leg that couldn’t be saved.
“He took it upon himself to be the almighty saviour of the leg, as it were, and it proves that they were all unnecessary because they all failed – and what it says in the report is that there’s no benefit, not one operation was of any benefit to Bunty whatsoever.”
Mr Stalham added: “He was all smiles and success – coming in and saying I’ve lengthened her leg, it’s great, it’s longer than the other one, it was all a big major success and then out of the blue – actually no it hasn’t worked.”
Dr Jabbar no longer works at the hospital and has not had a licence to practise medicine in the UK since January.
Dean Stalham and Bunty
Bunty’s leg was eventually amputated in 2022. Her father says it should have happened sooner and saved her from prolonged pain.
“We think that she thought her leg was going to grow back, in her head, because she was told it was a healthy bone… she thought her leg was going to regrow. He sold her a dream.
“After the eventual amputation, he came out of that operation and said right I’ve left a three-inch piece of lovely, healthy bone hanging from her knee, it will mean she will have mobility. Then two weeks later, the bone’s veering off to the left.”
An external report – commissioned by Great Ormond Street – into Dr Jabbar’s practices and the wider department, is due to be sent to the families of those affected who wish to see it.
They have been told it will be redacted in places.
Caroline Murgatroyd, from Hudgell Solicitors, is representing some of them.
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Children left in pain by surgeon’s ‘inappropriate and unnecessary’ operations
“Bunty’s case has similarities to others we have seen – which is a pattern of poor decision making, failure to consider alternatives to the surgery and failure to discuss with parents the risks and benefits to different treatment options and whether any particular treatment is really in the patient’s best interest.”
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children said in a statement: “We wish to say we are deeply sorry to Bunty and her family, and all the families impacted by the review of care given by a Lower Limb Orthopaedic surgeon. This is not what they should expect from any service at our hospital.
“Within 18 working days of concerns being raised to senior leaders about the Lower Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Service, we asked the Royal College of Surgeons to carry out a review into our Paediatric Orthopaedic service in July 2022.
“We are now ensuring that all the findings are addressed at pace.”
Dr Jabbar has since been working in Dubai, but Sky News understands he has been suspended.
In a statement shared with Sky News, a spokesperson from CMC Hospital Dubai said: “We have been made aware of recent reports concerning allegations of misconduct and malpractice involving a physician employed at our hospital.
“We took immediate action to suspend the physician. We are awaiting the relevant authorities’ decisions on the matter.”