Dr Charlie Teo says he is no longer performing brain surgery in Australia after being “precluded” from operating in Australian hospitals. 

But Australian patients claim the neurosurgeon has been treating them in hospitals overseas, with one patient’s father saying he redrew $90,000 “off the house” to pay for his son’s surgery in Spain along with his travel and accommodation costs. 

Dr Teo, who is known for offering a last-chance option for patients with rare tumours, had restrictions placed on his practice last year under emergency powers, although details of the complaint against him have never been revealed.

But the result was a ruling he could only operate on malignant intracranial tumours or brain stem tumours with written approval from a council-approved independent neurosurgeon with at least 20 years’ experience.