Nexnet

Raleys Solicitors has successfully won damages for 11 women who lodged complaints following surgery carried out by consultant surgeon Puvaneswary Markandoo.

 

Speaking for the first time since winning her claim against the hospital for the incorrect excision of the tumour and axillary node sampling procedure, the 52-year-old Barnsley woman, who does not wish to be named, said: “It has been an absolute nightmare which is still having an effect on me today. From the moment I was diagnosed with breast cancer it has been a terrifying experience.

 

“Anyone who has had cancer knows that it turns your world upside down. To find out years after undergoing surgery that much of that treatment was unnecessary is indescribable. I have felt shocked, upset and angry, all the emotions you can imagine. You put your trust in a hospital and the doctor, believing you are in the best hands and that they will take care of you and do what is right for you, and then to discover that is not what happened at all, it leaves me at a loss.

 

“I am still on anti-depressants and I have been left terrified of what the future may hold in terms of my health. The thought of ever having to go back into hospital makes me feel anxious and frightened.”

 

The married grandmother of three was diagnosed with cancer in 2005 after finding a lump in her breast. She was referred to Barnsley Hospital by her GP for tests and first came into contact with Ms Markandoo when she was given the devastating diagnosis. She should have undergone a lumpectomy to remove the cancerous lump and axillary node sampling but instead Ms Markandoo performed a radical axillary dissection – a much more extensive form of surgery.

 

The error was only discovered after the woman responded to an appeal by Raleys Solicitors in 2007 for former patients of Ms Markandoo to come forward after several other complaints were made. Raleys referred clients to a top breast cancer specialist in Luton who examined the surgery carried out by Ms Markandoo.

 

Jenny Garbutt from Raleys Solicitors said: “No amount of money can make up for what our clients have had to go through. The experience of this lady is just one of many. At least now this closes, once and for all, what has been a very distressing chapter in the lives of a number of women. Many were breast cancer victims who had to undergo mastectomies, and were having reconstructive surgery as part of their rehabilitation. We dealt with cases where repeated surgery was needed to correct stitching which did not heal properly, and where permanent damage had been done to the circulation in the breast tissue.

 

“To suffer the kind of injuries these women suffered in those circumstances is horrific. Hopefully, now all the cases have been settled, they will feel some sense of justice has been served.”

 

Ms Markandoo was suspended after 35 women came forward to complain about problems after operations. In total, 29 proceeded with compensation claims against Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Health chiefs admitted negligent failings in a vast majority of payout cases.

 

In 2008, the General Medical Council found Ms Markandoo to be deficient in 11 areas of her job, including basic surgery and working within laws and regulations.

  

 

Issued on behalf of Raleys Solicitors, www.raleys.co.uk, by Nexnet PR, 8 York Place, Leeds, LS1 2DS, www.nexnet.co.uk. For further information call Nexnet on 0113 247 0029 or email paul.newham@nexnet.co.uk, joanne.mead@nexnet.co.uk or sophie.mccandlish@nexnet.co.uk