A world-renowned mesh surgeon has revealed he could have operated on 50 mesh victims in time wasted on fruitless talks to bring him to Scotland.
Dr Dionysios Veronikis last week told Holyrood’s Public Petitions Committee how he was told to tout for sponsors at a medical conference when General Medical Council documents allowing him to operate here were not signed by Scottish mesh removal experts.
Dr Veronikis said: “It has been a hugely frustrating that the last 18 months have been spent trying to overcome the barriers which were placed in my way, preventing me being able to come to Scotland and operate on the women who said they needed my help.
“During that wasted time, I could have operated on around 50 women, and that is the real tragedy of this situation, something that has troubled me deeply.
“I did everything that was asked of me by the chief medical Officer Catherine Calderwood and her deputy, Terry O’Kellly, however, the process was very one-sided. The more unreasonable the requests became, the more I was alienated from the project.
“It has been a relief that I have finally been able to personally explain to the politicians what happened.
Scottish Mesh Survivor founder Elaine Holmes said: “How this world-class surgeon has been treated has been utterly shameful.”
MSP Neil Findlay said the committee should now call Scottish doctors.
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe