Celebrities and sports stars have gathered to support controversial neurosurgeon Charlie Teo as his five-day disciplinary hearing begins.
Steve Waugh and Anthony Mundine were among Mr Teo’s high profile friends who spoke to news.com.au outside the Health Professional Councils Authority Monday morning.
Mundine said he has known Teo, who is known for his work on brain tumours deemed inoperable by other neurosurgeons, “for some time”.
“I just know the character the man he is… We’ve built a good relationship over the years, and got closer and closer,” he said.
“He’s been blessed with unbelievable skills in the neurosurgeon game and is one of the best in the world.
Asked what he thought about the criticism aimed towards Teo and the hearing he faces, Mundine said: “There will be people that hate it… it’s a 50/50 game, you’re gonna win some you lose some.”
“But I’m here. If you want to kick him, come kick me too”.
Also there to support his good friend was cricket great Steve Waugh, who said Teo saved his wife Lynette’s life when he removed a large blood clot from her brain.
“I’ve referred him to a number of friends as well,” Waugh said.
“He’s done an amazing job – over 11,000 operations. He takes some of the tough cases no one else wants to”.
He said it was “hard for me to know why people don’t like him” but thought it could be a “little bit of tall poppy syndrome”.
“I guess it makes him a target with some people,” Waugh said.
“I just hope he gets a fair go”.
The NSW Medical Council has barred the 65-year-old from operating in Australia since August 2021 without written approval, following an investigation into alleged unsatisfactory workplace conduct.
The Health Care Complaints Commission hearing against Teo could result in further Conditions imposed on Dr Teo’s registration.
The hearing against Teo follows a joint Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes investigation which revealed he had charged some families large amounts of money for ultimately futile operations that catastrophically injured his patients.
They told the story of four-year-old Mikolaj Barman, who died ten months after an $80,000 operation to remove Mikolaj’s DIPG in Singapore in 2018, which left the little boy unable to breathe on his own, or to walk or talk.
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