Further details have emerged in the case involving the Robert Schuman hospital group (HRS), which suspended one of its surgeons on Tuesday afternoon as a precautionary measure.
The suspension follows a formal letter of allegation written by six medical professionals working at the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL). Dated 6 January and addressed to CHL Director General Dr Martine Goergen, the letter opens by stating it was written “in accordance with our duty to inform and in the interests of patient protection.”
In the document, the doctors raise serious concerns regarding “certain surgical practices in the field of anterior cruciate ligament surgery of the knee.” They report that, since 2023, the orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine departments have treated multiple patients who had undergone cruciate ligament reconstruction “despite an intact ligament.”
An independent evaluation and internal discussion revealed that all the cases involved the same HRS surgeon. According to the letter, “the discrepancy between the rules of good professional practice on the one hand, and the technical procedures recommended or carried out by the colleague on the other, appears to be a recurring issue that persists to this day.”
The most recent case cited involved a patient who was operated on shortly before Christmas 2025, referred to in the letter as “the latest victim.”
Of ten patients who underwent the surgeon’s recommended reconstruction, several later required corrective surgery at the CHL. An annex to the letter details five additional cases where surgery was recommended but not performed. In one instance, the surgeon reportedly diagnosed a bilateral cruciate ligament tear and intended to operate on both knees, but an MRI scan clearly showed no such injury. The six doctors concluded that, had the procedure been carried out, it would have constituted actual bodily harm.
For these reasons, the doctors stated they felt compelled to inform their “direct supervisor.” They emphasised that their action was “not being made for personal or economic reasons, but solely to allow for an objective clarification in the interest of patients and the medical profession.”
The surgeon has now been suspended internally by the HRS. Concurrently, the case has been forwarded to the Ministry of Health. According to information obtained by RTL, Health Minister Martine Deprez is scheduled to meet with the doctor on Wednesday.
Should the investigation determine a danger to patients, Minister Deprez holds the authority to temporarily withdraw the doctor’s licence to practise. Such a suspension could last for up to three months and would also prohibit the surgeon from working outside the hospital.
RTL has contacted the doctor in question but has not received a response.
As always, the principle of presumption of innocence applies.
