Patient warns of more ‘unnecessary surgery’ at Royal Darwin Hospital after near miss

A MAN who narrowly avoided undergoing a risky and needless surgical procedure at Royal Darwin Hospital has spoken out about another instance of ‘unnecessary surgery’ at the hospital

Allan Piper narrowly avoided undergoing a risky and needless surgical procedure at Royal Darwin Hospital. Picture Che Chorley

• RDH failures led to death: Coroner
• Family sues NT govt over father’s death after ‘unnecessary’ surgery

A MAN who narrowly avoided undergoing a risky and needless surgical procedure at Royal Darwin Hospital has spoken out about another instance of ‘unnecessary surgery’ at the hospital.

Allan Piper, 77, said he was admitted to the hospital due to a potentially cancerous shadow on his pancreas in 2018 and was about to go under the knife when the procedure was called off.

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“There was a little tiny, wheeny, white spot on the negative on my pancreas and it was for that one reason that [they] … wanted to do this big operation,” he said.

“They were going to take my pancreas out and I had a very serious heart problem … and the anaesthetist spotted it and he stopped the operation and they flew me down to Adelaide.”

Mr Piper said when he arrived in Adelaide, doctors confirmed the spot was benign and the operation never went ahead.

“When the anaesthetist stopped the operation he was fuming and there were three other doctors that came to my rescue and stopped it,” he said.

“I’ve had six doctors tell me (since) that had I had the operation I would have never come out of it alive.”

Mr Piper said he was prompted to speak out after Coroner Greg Cavanagh ruled another man, Ali Djawas, “died after having unnecessary elective surgery” at RDH in 2017.

“The primary reason for having the surgery was because his surgeon held a sincere belief

that it was the best option for him,” Mr Cavanagh found.

“It is likely that if the surgeon had taken the case and the pathology results to a multidisciplinary team the surgery would not have been recommended.”

Mr Djawas’ daughter, Gaya Campman, is now suing the NT government in the Supreme Court on behalf of his family.

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In a statement of claim filed with the court, ­Ms Campman alleges his treating doctors breached their duty of care by verbally recommending surgery that was ­“unreasonable, unnecessary or not sufficiently warranted”.

The statement of claim says the settlement sought will be particularised prior to trial, while noting one of Mr Djawas’s children had an intellectual disability, two of his grandchildren had autism and all three required extra care that the family patriarch provided prior to his death.

In its defence, also filed with the court, the government denies any wrongdoing.

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