An eye expert has been struck off for financial and professional misconduct following a tribunal held by the General Medical Council (GMC) – the body responsibly for regulating medical practitioners in the UK.
Until recently Mr Bobby Qureshi was the Director of the London Eye Hospital, a leading eye expert specialising in laser cataract surgery and Age Related Macular Degeneration treatments, with celebrity endorsements from socialite Lady Annabel Goldsmith, and June Brown of Eastenders fame.
However, the tribunal held by the GMC heard from 24 patients, some of whom were elderly and vulnerable. It transpired that patients were pressured into paying privately for a treatment costing £24,000 which could allegedly treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is an incurable and progressive condition, yet patients were falsely assured that Mr Qureshi’s treatment would improve their vision.
One woman’s vision was so badly affected post-surgery that she has now been registered as blind. When she spoke to Mr Qureshi he ignored her concerns saying “I’m a world famous Ophthalmologist, are you trying to say you know more than me?”
The tribunal heard that Mr Qureshi had placed his own financial interests above the duty of care owed to his patients, and failed to correctly inform them of the risks of the eye surgeries he carried out, thereby willingly misleading patients into accepting surgery for his own financial gain.
Mr Qureshi was therefore struck off the Medical Register, and can no longer practise in any medical field. The London Eye Hospital is reportedly under new management.
If you have any concerns about the standard of medical treatment you have received, please don’t hesitate to give our team of specialists a call on 01227 828299. For advice and support you can also contact the Macular Society on 0300 3030 111 or email help@macularsociety.org.