Hospital investigation reveals surgeon harmed 94 children over five years

A 12-year-old patient is now speaking publicly about complications from surgery he received six years ago at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London. Vivaan Sharma was six when surgeon Yaser Jabbar operated on his leg for reconstruction. Years later, visible mistakes became apparent.

"We saw some mistakes on my leg and we realised something happened wrong," Sharma told the BBC. What followed were additional surgeries to address problems from the original procedure — a cascade of interventions that left him with permanent scarring.

A formal investigation into Jabbar's practice, completed by GOSH, documented a troubling pattern. Between 2017 and 2022, Jabbar treated 789 children at the hospital. Of those, 94 came to harm due to what the investigation classified as unacceptable surgical practice. The findings represent a significant breach of patient safety protocols at one of the UK's leading children's hospitals.

For Sharma, the impact extends beyond the physical. "I've got so many scars on my leg," he said. "This is stuck for life." The emotional weight of repeated surgeries during childhood, combined with visible reminders of what went wrong, illustrates why these cases matter beyond statistics.

The investigation's publication marks a turning point in how the hospital and broader medical system are responding to documented harm. GOSH has since implemented changes to surgical oversight and quality assurance. The case also raises questions about how such practices went undetected for five years and what systemic checks might have caught problems earlier.

For families affected, the investigation provides both accountability and a difficult reckoning. Sharma's willingness to speak about his experience publicly reflects a broader shift toward transparency in healthcare — acknowledging that when things go wrong, silence protects no one.

The hospital continues to work with affected families on remediation, though for many, the focus now is on ensuring such lapses don't happen again.