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Speaker 1: Jersey and Amanda jam Nation.

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Speaker 2: Well, it's been all over the news. Dr Charlie Teo,

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Speaker 2: the famous neurosurgeon who performs higherst brain surgeries, has been

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Speaker 2: found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct. Well to talk us

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Speaker 2: through what that means is the host of Channel seven

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Speaker 2: Spotlight investigation called the Charlie Teo affair, Michael Asher, Hi, Michael, Hello.

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Speaker 1: Michael, good morning. How are you?

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Speaker 2: They sing very well. So this misconduct was found in

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Speaker 2: two cases in particular, what were they So?

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Speaker 1: The two cases were the two people who went under

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Speaker 1: the risky surgery with doctor Charlie Teo. They later died

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Speaker 1: after the surgery. And the fourth cases were one was

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Speaker 1: an allegation of excessive charging for the actual operation, one

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Speaker 1: was Charlie ben rude to one of the patient's daughters

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Speaker 1: and using offensive language. And the other two were in

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Speaker 1: both cases did he take too many risks outweighing the

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Speaker 1: balance of the health of the patient and the medical

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Speaker 1: investigation into hunderstand that he was guilty on all four

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Speaker 1: of those charges. So misconduct charges found to be true

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Speaker 1: against Charlie and a condition that already existed with his

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Speaker 1: license anyway, which was he needs approval by a senior eurosurgeon.

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Speaker 1: To get any surgery underway, they have to sign him

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Speaker 1: off essentially to say that he can do surgery. In

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Speaker 1: that point, he got a small win because that person

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Speaker 1: now only needs fifteen years experience, not twenty is experience.

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Speaker 1: But it's by the bye. He's got handcuffs on him.

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Speaker 1: And the bottom line is for all of the patients

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Speaker 1: that he says that he has done amazing things over

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Speaker 1: the years, eleven thousand brain procedures, hundreds of patients every year,

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Speaker 1: he couldn't operate if he wanted to anyway. He's still

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Speaker 1: a registered surgeon. He can still do what he does,

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Speaker 1: but there's not a hospital in Australia that'll touch him

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Speaker 1: now because of risk and liability and bad reputation. And

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Speaker 1: he's got himself in a real pickle. So he's not

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Speaker 1: been struck off. He hasn't lost his license. He can

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Speaker 1: still be a surgeon. He's got these charges now sound

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Speaker 1: true against him, and he literally can't go and do

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Speaker 1: what he.

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Speaker 2: Says he's best at, and what he says is best

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Speaker 2: at is those the cutting edge surgeries that no one

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Speaker 2: else will touch. There was one case I know where

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Speaker 2: he told the patient's family that he could remove the

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Speaker 2: tumor with five percent risk of death. But that patient

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Speaker 2: never woke up. So people get bad outcomes that they're

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Speaker 2: really not expecting. Whether they expect, whether they should expect

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Speaker 2: different outcomes is a different story. But he made promises.

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Speaker 1: Well and in that case too. Amount of two other

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Speaker 1: neurosurgeons gave evidenced string this inquiry and said, well, he

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Speaker 1: said five percent. In our expertise, we'd say he should

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Speaker 1: have said sixty percent. But as Charlie's an interesting character,

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Speaker 1: I've spent about six months within now. We've traveled to

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Speaker 1: India and Spain. He's adored in those parts of the World's.

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Speaker 2: Very charismatic, isn't he extremely charismatic?

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Speaker 1: But look, Charlie's got this amazing ego on him, and

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Speaker 1: I think sometimes maybe you have to when you're a

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Speaker 1: maverick in his field, which he's me. I said to

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Speaker 1: a man now interview which will air on Sunday night,

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Speaker 1: I said, look, you know, as we sit here, Charlie,

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Speaker 1: I think that's the longest I've gone with that asking.

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Speaker 1: Then you want to question ever, because he goes on

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Speaker 1: and on on about everything. But I said, are you

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Speaker 1: in fact your own worst end. I mean, he loves

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Speaker 1: bucking against the system. He hates the old school of neurosurgeons,

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Speaker 1: he fights the hospitals. But what he does do passionately,

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Speaker 1: and I don't think anyone can deny this, and it's

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Speaker 1: true when you spend a lot of time with him.

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Speaker 1: He is just so desperately passionate about the brain, fighting

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Speaker 1: brain cancer and those patients that he has saved, which

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Speaker 1: outweigh in this case. We're talking about two patients that

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Speaker 1: have led to the charges against him. There were two

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Speaker 1: more two years ago, but that's about it over his

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Speaker 1: career that have gone to a tribunal at least. And look,

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Speaker 1: I've met people. Now. There's one mum in our story.

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Speaker 1: At least. She's thirty four, she's got a four year

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Speaker 1: old daughter. She's on her fifth brain surgery with Charlie too.

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Speaker 1: She only trusts Chief Charlie. She's had to go to

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Speaker 1: Spain to get the treatment she needs to stay alive.

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Speaker 1: She's a gorgeous Australian mum, a young teacher. And as

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Speaker 1: she said, look forget about his ego, forget about whether

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Speaker 1: you like all those Charlie teo. I'm here today because

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Speaker 1: of Charlie Teo. I'm here because a couple of years

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Speaker 1: ago you said, look in between the brain surgeries, which

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Speaker 1: we're going to have to do again to keep this

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Speaker 1: insidious brain tumor out of your brain, go and have

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Speaker 1: your baby now live. I'll keep you alive. And she says,

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Speaker 1: it's my choice, it's my life, it's my brain. I

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Speaker 1: choose Charlie Teo. But I've been kicked out of Australia

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Speaker 1: because no hospital will let him do what he does best.

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Speaker 1: And he finds that deeply, deeply troubling. He's upset by that.

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Speaker 3: And that's you know, when you're when you're a maverick

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Speaker 3: in any business, that's what happens. You know you've got

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Speaker 3: you got to roll the dice. And as you only

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Speaker 3: know too well, Michael, you're a maverick.

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Speaker 2: Don't touch a scalpel would be.

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Speaker 1: Don't let me nearest Galpy people.

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Speaker 3: It's just TV. It's not brain surgery.

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Speaker 1: This is true.

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Speaker 3: The Charlie Teer affair is this Sunday or Channel seventh

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Speaker 3: Spotlight eight thirty. You'll catch that with our mate, Michael. Asha.

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Speaker 3: It's always great to talk to you, Mush.

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Speaker 1: It's been too long and lovely to talk to you both, James,

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Speaker 1: Thanks Michael,