Charlie Teo hits back at claims of inappropriate conduct
Prominent neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo has hit back at the Fairfax news report accusing him of sexually inappropriate behaviours.
In the article published on The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, several neurosurgeons and specialists accused Teo of inappropriate comments and conduct during operations.
Teo’s colleagues, who were unnamed over fears of public backlash, claimed that Teo is often “grossly inappropriate” in the operating theatre, making comments such as “Wouldn’t I like to get you naked!” and “It’s my dream that you would suck my dick while I'm doing this operation”.
Some of the colleagues also claimed Teo refuses to operate in public hospitals due to the low payments and often exaggerates patients’ symptoms to intimidate them into undergoing surgeries.
“I am incredibly surprised and tremendously disappointed by the article published today in The Sydney Morning Herald,” Teo said in a statement on his personal website.
“Particularly disturbing was the evident lack of legitimate research, the use of nameless sources, the staggering number of inaccuracies and ultimate failure to provide a fair and balanced story.
“It’s disappointing that the publisher has chosen to report inaccurately and in such a sensational and biased manner. I have asked my legal team to review the article.”
In May, Teo found himself at the centre of a growing controversy after urologist Henry Woo questioned the 61-year-old’s surgery services, citing the more than 110 GoFundMe campaigns to raise over $100,000 for operations involving Teo.
“Something is seriously wrong if a terminally ill girl with a brain tumour has to raise $120K to have surgery Dr Charlie Teo has offered to do for $60-80K,” Woo wrote on Twitter.
“If it was valid surgery, it could/should be performed in the public system under Medicare.”
Woo told Fairfax that “data needs to be collected and peer review undertaken” to “accurately assess the validity of Dr Teo’s surgical approach”.
Teo said he would perform operations “free of charge” in public hospitals, but he has not been invited yet.
However, one colleague in the report said, “The media is happy to perpetuate the crap that he says ‘nobody likes me and I have been shut out’ … All of that is such rubbish. He could come down here and operate at any time he wants to. He refuses to.”