Following an investigation by Guardian Australia, the law firm Slater and Gordon is considering a class action against disgraced obstetrician and gynaecologist, Emil Shawky Gayed.
Gayed was found guilty of professional misconduct by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal in June following the mismanagement of seven patients spanning more than three years at the Manning Base Hospital in Taree, NSW.
The tribunal heard Gayed had performed an unnecessary hysterectomy on one woman and irreversible surgeries on patients without their consent. He carried out multiple invasive procedures that fell “significantly below” professional standards on women that could have been treated with painkillers and bed rest, the tribunal heard.
But Guardian Australia revealed his harm was much more widespread and spanned more than two decades, and that one woman died after unnecessary treatment. It prompted the New South Wales Department of Health to order an independent inquiry into Gayed and his work in public hospitals throughout the state.
In a statement, Slater and Gordon said it was investigating a potential class action against Gayed.
“The investigation will also look at the conduct of the hospitals he worked within and the regulator, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra),” the firm said in a statement.
“We urge any person who is concerned about treatment they received from Dr Gayed to contact us as we continue to investigate.”
Sydney law firm Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers has been representing women allegedly harmed by Gayed and investigating their claims since his harms were first made public. But other law firms have since offered their services to affected women as more cases come forward.
The independent investigation is being headed by the senior counsel Gail Furness, known for her work on the child sexual abuse royal commission, and will also examine whether hospital management took adequate measures to report and stop him. Furness is due to deliver her report to government by the end of September.
