A spinal tumour patient has revealed he is still unable to walk – six years after being operated on by a disgraced surgeon.
Janis Kukucs was told he would be back on his feet within six months, but today remains in a wheelchair and is unable to feed himself.
Last night, it emerged the once “active” 36-year-old had tried to take action against NHS Grampian about shamed neurosurgeon Emmanuel Labram’s treatment but was told he had run out of time.
His family was told he only had a year to raise an action against the health board, but he had delayed because of the assurances he was given that he would walk again.
Mr Kukucs, who lives in the Aberdeen beach area, was operated on by Mr Labram in September 2011 – two years before the surgeon was struck off for pretending to a patient he had removed her brain tumour. By the time his deception was uncovered, the woman’s tumour had become inoperable.
After suffering from a sore neck and breathlessness in 2010, Mr Kukucs went to see his doctor.
Initially he was diagnosed with asthma, but after his symptoms worsened and he began suffering pain in his legs, he underwent a scan and was told he had a spinal tumour.
Mr Labram assured Mr Kukucs, who is originally from Latvia, about the surgery and said he would be able to walk again within six months.
Following the operation, Mr Kukucs was sent to a Glasgow rehabilitation centre and for the first few weeks there he felt the feeling was returning to his legs – raising his hopes.
But he was then hit with the pain he felt before the operation, and it has never gone away again.
With Mr Kukucs still consigned to a wheelchair, his wife Zina has given up work to become his full-time carer.
Friend Juliana Lavrinovica said last night: “Janis has lost his life because of what Mr Labram did.
“Before the operation he could walk and was leading an active life.
“Now he is in a wheelchair and he is not even able to feed himself, and he is on strong painkillers because his pain is as bad as it was before the operation.
“It’s really hard for him to accept what has happened because he was told he would be able to walk again but he is stuck in a wheelchair.
“It has hit Zina really hard as well. She has had depression because of the stress of what has happened.”
Last night, a spokeswoman for NHS Grampian said they would investigate Mr Kukucs’s case if he got in touch.
She said: “We are sorry to hear about Mr Kukucs’ case and would be happy to investigate further the concerns he has raised.
“Our feedback team can be contacted by telephone, e-mail or post. Feedback cards are also available in all our health centres, clinics and wards.
“We can confirm that the surgeon involved is no longer employed by NHS Grampian.”
WHO IS EMMANUEL LABRAM?
Emmanuel Labram was stuck off in November 2013 for “deplorable misconduct” which included telling a patient he had successfully removed her brain tumour after an operation at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
He told the woman he had removed “100% of the tumour” and by the time it emerged that this was not true it had become inoperable.
He was said to have “lied and lied and lied” to cover up his initial mistake relating to the patient who he first saw in June 2008.
He also lied to colleagues and forged documents to continue the deception.
Panellists at his hearing were told of his “long and distinguished career” but said his misconduct was “fundamentally incompatible” with him being allowed to continue working as a doctor.
However several of his patients insisted they would not be alive without the actions of Mr Labram after hearing about this.
One of these was Fraserburgh man William Roy, who was treated by him in 2011 when a large benign growth was removed from between his shoulder blades.
He said afterwards: “He was a very competent surgeon.
“It is such a shame that he will not be able to treat patients any more. If I could talk to him now I would tell him that without him I would be out of here. I would have died.”
MAKING A COMPLAINT
The NHS has a well-established complaints system for patients and families dissatisfied with the care they receive or other issues.
There is however a time limit.
It says that any complaint must usually be made “within six months of the event you want to complain about or within six months of you finding out that you have a reason to complain – but no longer than 12 months after the event.”
Exceptions can be made in certain circumstances.
If a complaint is not accepted at health board level, it can be escalated to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.