Nearly 100 children were harmed by a limb reconstruction surgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), as per an independent review published by the London-based children’s hospital.
The investigation analysed surgeon's work who practiced in the UK named Yaser Jabbar, who treated 789 children between 2017-2022.
It discovered that nearly 94 patients came to harm, including 91 who underwent surgery.
Jabbar, who has expertise in limb-lengthening and reconstruction procedures, performed extremely high-risk surgeries, but the review concluded that his practice was substandard in several regions and directly caused harm to patients.
While the hospital stated that it could not identify whether all cases were avoidable, the report identified widespread unacceptable practices.
These included premature removal of fixation devices, surgeries without any clear clinical justification, incorrect bone cuts, and poor management of complications.
Thirty-five children suffered from severe harm.
The review was launched in 2024 following increasing concerns internally and after an earlier review by Royal College of Surgeons (RCS), which underscored a “toxic” working culture and inappropriate procedures.
However, the report was not fully published.
It is pertinent to mention that Jabbar’s licence was canceled in the UK and is believed to be living abroad. The Metropolitan Police stated it will assess whether a criminal investigation is needed or not.
GOSH chief executive Matthew Shaw described the horrifying results as “the bleakest day” in the hospital’s history and apologised to affected families.
NHS England is currently reviewing how the hospital handled the case.
