Several patients allege the doctor performed unnecessary surgeries for severe endometriosis.
SYDNEY: An Australian gynaecologist was referred to police on Tuesday following media reports alleging he performed unnecessary surgeries on women, including organ removals.
MELBOURNE: Multiple patients of surgeon Simon Gordon told public broadcaster ABC that he performed surgeries for severe endometriosis despite little or no evidence that they had the disease. Some patients continued to experience pain for months or years after the procedures.
Endometriosis is a chronic condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the womb.
One woman said Gordon removed her ovaries and uterus, but pathology results showed mostly no sign of the disease. A senior surgeon told ABC that one sample indicated only an “insignificant amount of possible endometriosis,” and there was no justification for removing her ovaries.
Another patient said she was diagnosed and operated on despite earlier pathology showing no disease. Six years after surgery, she struggles to walk five minutes without pain, saying, “I have barely any quality of life compared to what I had before.”
Gordon has denied wrongdoing, telling ABC he never performed surgery for endometriosis “unless I was absolutely convinced it was in the patient’s best interests.” AFP has contacted the recently retired surgeon for comment.
Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan said she was “sickened” by the allegations and referred the matter to police. “Performing unnecessary surgery is a crime; removing a woman’s organs without clinical need is a crime; assisting in that conduct is a crime,” she said.
Victoria Police stated they were “assessing information” following the referral. ABC reported that complaints against Gordon had been lodged over five years by patients and clinicians with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
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