Dr Charlie Teo: ‘My fault’ patient was left paralysed after brain surgery

Neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo has spoken openly about the risks and outcomes of his procedures in a recent interview, acknowledging that one of his patients was left paralysed following surgery.

“If you look at my CV, out of all the articles that I’ve published, many of them are on complications,” Dr Teo told Mets Analin on the Elevate with Mets podcast, released Tuesday.

“So I don’t try and hide from my complications, I admit to them. I take it on the chin, it’s my fault, you know that person is paralysed because I went too far.

“It wasn’t intentional, of course, but it was my fault, and I’ve published on that.”

Dr Teo has continued to perform brain surgeries internationally following a 2023 reprimand by a professional standards committee, which found him guilty of “unsatisfactory professional conduct.”

The Daily Mail reported that although he remains registered to practice in Australia, Dr Teo must obtain written approval from a neurosurgeon endorsed by the Medical Council of NSW before operating locally.

To date, no colleagues have provided this support.

The 2023 finding related to surgeries on two female patients at Sydney’s Prince of Wales Hospital in 2018 and 2019. Both patients died following the operations, one within 10 days.

According to the committee, Dr Teo did not demonstrate “appropriate judgment” in performing one of the surgeries. In the other case, the committee found he “carried out surgery which was different to that proposed to the patient, and the surgical strategy led to unwarranted and excessive removal of normal functional brain.”

The committee noted that Dr Teo had become “isolated from his peers” and concluded that the conditions placed on his registration were “necessary to protect the health and safety of the public”.

Since then, Dr Teo has continued his work in countries including China, India, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Brazil, Peru and Nepal.

He said many Australians have travelled overseas to seek his treatment.

He has formally requested that the conditions on his practice be removed and has claimed that he is the target of a smear campaign driven by professional jealousy.

“So here’s a doctor who’s got a worldwide reputation for being very honest with their presentations getting lambasted and getting persecuted for having complications,” he said during the podcast interview.

“Well, hang on — I will be the first to admit that I have bad outcomes.”

Mr Analin, a Sydney gym owner and host of the podcast, described himself as a “massive fan” of Dr Teo and said the neurosurgeon has helped a close friend two decades ago.

In the interview, Dr Teo, who was born in Australia to Singaporean parents, reflected on his career in neurosurgery. He described the discipline as initially intimidating due to its unforgiving nature, but said it ultimately became his passion.

He also discussed his relationship with the medical profession, referring to “bullying from the medical fraternity” as one of his greatest challenges.

“I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong,” he said.

“Now, speak to the doctors and they think I’ve done a lot of things wrong, but all I’ve done, Mets, you’ve just got to believe me, all I’ve done was care for my patients.

“These cases that my colleagues have called futile cases that I take on — well, all of those people knew exactly what they were facing — they were facing death, certain death... Or a chance at living longer and maybe even being cured.

“My only crime is that I’ve given patients autonomy and I’ve taken on cases that everyone else says I shouldn’t take on. Your friend’s wife is exactly one of them.”

Dr Teo said it was a “natural progression” to continue performing surgeries overseas after being restricted from operating in Australia. \

Following the podcast’s release, public reaction was mixed.

Some supported Dr Teo, saying his patients had been aware of the risks, while others raised concerns about the impact of his procedures.

“The guy told people with no hope of a cure he could help them, only to leave them as vegetables for the rest of their short lives,” one commenter said.

“He performed surgeries on people that other surgeons wouldn’t do. Those people would have probably passed a lot sooner without surgery,” said another.

“Dr Teo is a genius! A massive loss for Australia if he is still prevented from operating,” a third said.

Another person said, “He worked outside the scope and advice of his professional body. That is ego and a recipe for him being hunted out of public hospitals. The fact that his bills were obscene, of course, didn’t help his image.”