The Patient Advocacy Group has received 35 formal submissions from patients related to the case of suspended orthopaedic surgeon Dr Philippe Wilmes, its president, René Pizzaferri, confirmed in an interview with RTL on Tuesday.
Pizzaferri stated that while there had been occasional complaints about Dr Wilmes in prior years, the recent surge is unprecedented. He explained that all submissions express similar concerns about the necessity or quality of the surgeon’s interventions, requiring individual, case-by-case assessment.
He cautioned, however, that the number of submissions does not equate to confirmed wrongdoing. Determining whether a surgery was unnecessary or poorly performed will require expert medical analysis, a task expected to be undertaken by a soon-to-be-established independent panel.
The review process is now beginning, Pizzaferri noted. The group must first contact each patient for an interview and obtain their full medical files from the hospital. It will then cooperate with the Ministry of Health and the Medical Board to prepare the cases before they are forwarded to the expert panel. Provided files are complete with all necessary imaging, Pizzaferri expects the process to advance quickly.
Finally, Pizzaferri clarified that the Patient Advocacy Group is not in direct contact with Dr Wilmes or the Robert Schuman hospital group (HRS). He explained that such cases arise periodically, and the group’s role is to mediate potential outcomes, which can include securing compensation for patients or arranging corrective medical treatment.
Dr Philippe Wilmes is scheduled to present his perspective on the allegations during the RTL Télé news broadcast on Tuesday evening.
