BOTHO MOLOSANKWEbotho.molosankwe@inl.co.za

FOUR people have hauledthe Health ProfessionsCouncil of South Africa(HPCSA) to court in a bid

to get it to take stringent actionagainst a surgeon with a string ofbotched operations behind him.

This unprecedented move couldsend shockwaves through the med-ical profession.

In papers filed at the Pre-toria High Court that The Star hasseen, the three women and a man –who are former patients of Benoniplastic surgeon Dr Luke Gordon –say they have gone to court becausethe council has failed to take seri-ous action against the doctor,which has allowed him to continueoperating despite his history.

Numerous medical malprac-tice complaints lodged against himwith the HPCSA have resulted ina slap on the wrist – he has beenissued with fines and received sus-pended sentences.

The four say in the court docu-ments that if action had been takennearly two years ago, this couldhave saved at least one of themfrom harm.

“The HPCSA is entrusted withthe statutory duty to protect thepublic by conducting investigationsinto complaints lodged againstpractitioners under their jurisdic-tion, and they are empowered to actagainst them,” the court docu-ments say.

“As long as the HPCSA fails to

perform in terms of its statutoryduties, the public are being exposedto the harmful practices of Gordonas detailed herein.”

In the past three years, Gordonhas paid more than R4.5 million toclients. In 2000, 2007 and 2008 thecouncil found him guilty after com-plaints about his work.

Attorney Gary Austin, who rep-resents the four, said they havehad their health, dignity, and bodilyand psychological integrityimpaired as a result of Gordon’snegligence.

One of the four lost a leg after anelective calf implant went wrongand infection set in.

A second had wanted the sur-geon to reduce her 34DD breasts,which had been causing herchronic back problems for years, toa B cup. She still has size DD

breasts, but her nipples are atdifferent heights.

The woman experiences backpain; her legs occasionally gonumb; her areolas (the ring ofcolour around the nipples) are nolonger round but are pear-shaped;and she has lumps in her leftbreast.

Yet another patient was leftgrossly disfigured after the sur-geon had performed elective breastand abdominal surgery.

She had consulted Gordonbecause three caesareans, a hys-terectomy and breastfeeding hadtaken their toll on her breasts andabdomen.

A 34-year-old woman whose brasize was a G had her surgery inMay this year. Her back was takingstrain and her pain was worsenedby constant headaches.

Pictures attached to the courtdocuments show breasts with openwounds after the operation.

After infection set in, she losther nipple, developed abscesses onher breast and the wounds wouldnot heal. She is now dependent onothers for simple tasks such astaking a shower.

Attached in the papers is aconfirmatory affidavit of Dr LeslieBerkowitz, a plastic surgeon whohas been a member of the Associa-tion of Plastic and ReconstructiveSurgeons of Southern Africa formore than 30 years.

In his affidavit, he states that hehas in the past sat as a peer-reviewmember, where Gordon’s compe-tence was called into question.On two occasions, Gordon’s workwas found to be substandard, but he

refused to undergo further training.Once, the affidavit says, a

patient nearly lost her life afterGordon operated on her.

“Whilst all surgeons have a riskof complications developing, myexperience and opinion is thatwhere Dr Gordon is concerned,the number of complications is farabove the norm and the pattern ofcomplaints which has arisen fromhis work is too startling to not war-rant an urgent investigation in theinterest of the public,” Berkowitz’saffidavit continues.

HPCSA spokeswoman BerthaScheepers-Peters said yesterdaythey had not yet received thesummons.

Gordon said yesterday he wasnot aware of the action his formerpatients had taken.

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Metamorphosis Clinic… When you’re ready for something special.Dr Luke Gordon South African born in Boksburg, a mining town on the East Rand. Havinggrown up in the area, he went to Christian Brothers College. Aftercompleting school, he went to Stellenbosch University for hisundergraduate training. He obtained his medical degree in 1987, afterwhich he did his housemanship at the Frere Hospital in the Eastern Cape.He commenced specialising at the University of Natal in 1990 and wasadmitted as a Member of the College of Surgeons (Plastic &Reconstructive Surgery) in 1995. Source: http://www.theclinic.co.za

‘HALT THISBUTCHER’l Paid out R4.5m to his patientsl One nearly died after operationl Another lost leg after implant

A HISTORY OF NEGLIGENCE

Warders strike at violent Free State prisonRUTH HOPKINS

ABOUT 415 warders at MangaungPrison in Bloemfontein, run bysecurity company G4S, went onstrike yesterday.

The stand-off between prisonmanagement and workers becamemore entrenched when the prison’shuman resources director, StephenPage, refused to accept a petition

listing grievances and demands. The G4S Africa director for hu-

man resources, Elanie Kruger, hadto be flown in to discuss the drawn-out labour dispute that caused thestrike. She was to meet Police andPrisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru)officials this morning.

The workers, all union mem-bers, marched to the entrance ofthe prison, where police barred

access and told them they would bearrested for trespassing if theytried to enter.

The biggest labour disruption atthe prison to date was triggered bythe suspension on Monday of fiveemployees accused of inciting acollective stayaway last month.

The Labour Court ruled that theaction amounted to an unprotectedstrike in terms of the Labour Rela-

tions Act and ordered all employeesto return to work.

The warders’ most pressing con-cern is the lack of protection forthe unarmed prison guards in thehighly violent prison, where gangsregularly stab, maim and rape theguards. Their calls for help havegone unheard for years.

Popcru listed 30 incidents of vio-lence against warders that were not

reported to the regional office ofthe Department for CorrectionalServices, as is required by law. Thedepartment reportedly has notresponded to these allegations,despite repeated requests.

The privately run prison accom-modates about 3 000 maximumsecurity inmates.l Ruth Hopkins is a journalist forthe Wits Justice Project.

HORROR STORY: A patient was left grossly disfigured afterelective breast and abdominal surgery.REFUSED FURTHER TRAINING: Dr Luke Gordon

SHOCKING: One of Dr Luke Gordon’spatients who wanted to reduce her34DD breasts ended up with nipplesat different heights and deformedareolas (ring of colour around nipple),left, and disfigured belly button,above.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

Health body accused of allowing suspect surgeon to keep working

EAT SMART FOR A HEALTHYHEART u12

‘TOP COP TOO FAT TO FLEE’ u2