Great Ormond Street Surgeon's Errors Leave Boy with Lifelong Trauma
The devastated parents of a 12-year-old boy have spoken out about the lasting impact of surgery performed by a rogue surgeon at Great Ormond Street Hospital, who harmed nearly 100 children over a five-year period. Vivaan Sharma continues to suffer nightmares and walks with a permanent limp following leg lengthening surgery in 2021 that has been deemed completely unsuitable by independent experts.
Shocking Review Reveals Scale of Harm
According to a damning independent review released this week, surgeon Yaser Jabbar caused harm to 94 children during his tenure at the world-renowned children's hospital. The review panel found that while most patients were not harmed, 98 children (12.4%) experienced some level of damage, with 36 suffering severe harm, 39 moderate harm, and 19 mild harm.
The investigation revealed serious surgical errors including "putting implants in the wrong place" and "poor planning before surgery" in Jabbar's lower limb reconstruction work. The surgeon, who specialized in complex orthopedic procedures, has since left the trust and no longer holds a license to practice medicine in the United Kingdom.
Family Disputes 'Moderate Harm' Classification
Vivaan's parents, Viresh and Namarata Sharma, have strongly contested the review's finding that their son suffered only "moderate harm" at Jabbar's hands. They describe this classification as "appalling" and "nonsense", arguing that their son's suffering extends far beyond the six-month timeframe used to define moderate harm in the review.
"The review has said that Vivaan has suffered moderate harm, and we think that's nonsense," said Mr Sharma. "It has affected his treatment and independence way beyond six months. These independent experts have never spoken to Vivaan. They've not seen what we have seen - him waking up having nightmares about having more operations or needing to have another frame on his leg."
Lasting Physical and Psychological Damage
Vivaan was born with a shortened and bowed right leg that doctors predicted would result in a 9cm leg length difference without intervention. Following Jabbar's surgery in July 2021, the family discovered the surgeon had used a different frame than what had been discussed pre-operatively, leading to what the review panel called "postoperative deformity deemed unacceptable" by other GOSH team members.
The boy has since undergone further corrective surgery with different surgeons at the hospital, but continues to experience significant challenges. "Even today, after many operations, he walks with a limp," explained his father. "It impacts his self-confidence. We're talking about a boy who has been around hospitals all his life and has been badly let down. He was just seven when he underwent surgery, which has now been found to have been completely unsuitable."
Early Warnings Ignored
The Sharma family believes they were among the first to raise concerns about Jabbar's practice following Vivaan's surgery in August 2021. They claim the hospital "repeatedly denied" there were problems with the surgical frame used and failed to act quickly enough on their complaints.
"I think the hospital failed completely its duty of care to patients," stated Mr Sharma, detailing how Jabbar dismissed their concerns with what he initially mistook for professional confidence but later recognized as arrogance. "I believed his words and dismissed Vivaan's screams as we were turning the screws on his frame. I was later told by another consultant that he had nerves running across the break, which were being stretched and pulled."
Hospital Response and Systemic Changes
Great Ormond Street Hospital commissioned a Royal College of Surgeons review in September 2022, with Jabbar leaving the trust the following month. In response to the findings, hospital chief executive Matthew Shaw issued a profound apology to affected families.
"We are profoundly sorry to all the patients and their families who have been affected by the care provided by Mr Jabbar," said Shaw. "We have made significant changes to both the orthopaedic service itself and across the hospital to minimise the chance of something like this happening again. Many of these changes are designed to help spot potential issues before they become a risk to patient care."
The hospital executive acknowledged that these changes come too late for families already affected but emphasized their commitment to creating a "better and safer place for all current and future patients." Meanwhile, the Sharma family continues to cope with the lasting consequences of what they describe as a catastrophic failure in medical care that has left their son "affected for life."
