Exclusive: Second hospital launches investigation into Emil Shawky Gayed as Manning hospital identifies more patients • Support our independent journalism with a monthly or one-off contribution

A New South Wales health district believes a further nine patients may have received inappropriate care from a gynaecologist found guilty of professional misconduct after he performed invasive and unnecessary surgeries on women.

The nine patients are in addition to seven patients whose cases were part of an investigation conducted by the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC). The HCCC investigation led to the doctor, Emil Shawky Gayed, being banned by the NSW civil and administrative tribunal from practising medicine for three years.

Guardian Australia revealed that Gayed performed a hysterectomy on one of the seven patients without her consent even though her condition could have been treated with bed rest and painkillers; that he unnecessarily removed another woman’s healthy right fallopian tube; and that he performed ablation procedures to surgically destroy the lining of the uterus on women who did not need it done.



But on Friday Michael DiRienzo, the chief executive of Hunter New England Health, said a further nine women had been identified who had been patients of Gayed’s at the Manning Rural Referral hospital and whose care under him warranted review.

Surgeon who operated on women unnecessarily faced years of complaints Read more

“I recognise that this will be a distressing time for these women and I’m very sorry they are going through this,” he told Guardian Australia.



“They have been asked to return for a follow-up assessment. Further investigations and treatment options will be discussed with these women during the visit. I believe it is our responsibility to contact these women and provide information to them directly, which we are in the process of doing.”

One of those called back to the hospital is a 78-year-old woman living in Taree and on whom Gayed performed an ablation in 2013. She was referred to Gayed by her doctor after experiencing vaginal bleeding.

The woman told Guardian Australia that Gayed reviewed the results of her ultrasound and pap smear and told her she needed ablation to clear up the problem. She said at the time, her husband had recently died and she just wanted to get the procedure over and done with and did not question that she needed it. She had the procedure and did not hear from the hospital again until this week.

“On Wednesday the hospital contacted me and said I needed to come in on Thursday to see a specialist,” the woman, who did not want to be named, said.

“I was terribly upset when I hung up the phone, I was in tears.

Surgeon performed unnecessary hysterectomy without consent, tribunal told Read more

“The first thing I asked the specialist after I went in was if this was to do with malpractice, and he looked me straight in the eye and he said ‘yes’. He told me Gayed should not have done an ablation procedure on me.”

The specialist also told her that her condition should have been treated with a hormone-releasing intrauterine device, the insertion of which is a minor procedure.

“I have to go in for a procedure next week where they will have a look at the lining of my uterus and do some biopsies,” she said. “And I have been told if everything isn’t okay, I might need a hysterectomy.

“I’m nearly 79 and I have so much going on right now, this has really just knocked me for six. I just can’t handle it. And I can’t understand how he was able to get away with it for so long.”

A spokeswoman for Mayo Private hospital in Taree, owned by Healthe Care, on Friday said it had launched an investigation into Gayed as a result of reporting by Guardian Australia.

“Mayo Private can confirm it has commenced a review of all relevant patient files,” a hospital spokeswoman said. “Mayo Private hospital will take appropriate action as necessary from its findings of this review. Mayo Private hospital can also confirm that Dr Gayed is no longer credentialed to work at the hospital, nor any other Healthe Care hospital.”

Another woman told Guardian Australia that Gayed stitched her vagina almost closed after she gave birth to her son in 2002, and that she required follow-up surgery to correct the issue. More than a dozen women have contacted Guardian Australia alleging that Gayed performed harmful or unnecessary procedures, with many of them still too traumatised to speak publicly or go to the authorities.

On Monday the health minister, Brad Hazzard, ordered the health district to give him a full report into Gayed.