UK inquiry: Rogue breast surgeon hurt over 1,000 patients

The chair of an independent inquiry into how a prominent British breast surgeon was able to perform unnecessary operations for years concluded Tuesday that more than 1,000 patients might have been affected by a dysfunctional'' system that did not keep patients safe.

In 2017, a jury found rogue surgeon Ian Paterson guilty of 17 counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and three counts of unlawful wounding.

Prosecutors say the doctor lied to patients or exaggerated their risk of cancer to persuade them to have surgery.

But Paterson's patients demanded a more thorough reckoning to prevent such situations from ever happening again.

The examination of Paterson's actions concluded that patients were let down for many years both by Britain's National Health Service and by private medical insurance and workers.

The Rev. Graham James, the inquiry's chair, said opportunities to stop the doctor's behavior were repeatedly missed by a system characterized by willful blindness.''
"He left breast tissue behind, and that led to patients' deaths."