The lawyer for an orthopaedic surgeon under investigation for allegedly performing unnecessary operations has denounced the Minister of Health’s decision to suspend his client as “a serious breach of the fundamental principles of the rule of law.”
On Friday morning, lawyer François Prum issued a statement confirming the partial suspension of his client’s licence. The surgeon, who was already suspended internally by the Robert Schuman hospital group (HRS), received a formal order from Minister of Health and Social Security Martine Deprez on Thursday barring him from performing surgical procedures outside the hospital, according to information obtained by RTL.
In his statement, Prum asserted that his client “rejects all accusations,” which he says are based on anonymous tips. He called the Minister’s suspension “arbitrary and disproportionate,” arguing it would “permanently and unjustifiably damage the reputation of the doctor, who is recognised for his competence and sense of responsibility.”
Prum confirmed that an appeal against the ministerial order will be filed with the administrative court.
RTL received a letter from colleagues of the suspended surgeon, expressing concern over the media’s treatment of the story and claiming the surgeon was facing a “media court”. The accusations had been made public without full investigation and concrete examples. They described a media furore without the accused surgeon supplying his version of events.
RTL reporters have reached out to the surgeon for comment but are yet to receive a response.
The senders of the letter, who have opted not to be named, express further concern about the harsh comments and hostility towards their colleague and remind that he is innocent until proven guilty. Medicine is a demanding and complex profession, yet it is not infallible.
The case made headlines two weeks after six doctors in orthopaedics and sports medicine in the CHL made grave allegations against a colleague from the Robert Schuman Hospital group, addressing their concerns over unnecessary operations to the CHL director. The patients involved received further treatment at CHL after their surgeries.
Chris Roller, president of the The Association of Doctors and Dentists (AMMD), said he was dissatisfied with the handling of the case and the public damning of the surgeon without a chance to explain himself.
The doctors’ association is shocked by how the case has been treated in the media, but also by the Minister of Health and the Medical College. It represents a “frontal attack” on liberal medicine and the medical profession in the Grand Duchy. The AMMD demands the matter be clarified quickly by the authorities in accordance with the rule of law.
