Dr Charlie Teo told a patient with brain cancer she would be “dead by Friday” if he did not operate on her tumour, a disciplinary hearing has heard. 

The woman’s husband told a Professional Standards Committee in Sydney she had described the neurosurgeon as ‘God’, but never regained consciousness after the operation.

Dr Teo, who is known for offering surgery to patients with rare tumours, had restrictions placed on his practice in August 2021 by the Medical Council of NSW under emergency powers.

Although details of the original complaint against him have never been revealed, the result of the ruling was that he could only operate on malignant intracranial tumours or brainstem tumours with written approval from a council-approved independent neurosurgeon with at least 20 years’ experience.