Another complaint has been filed against the Headache Clinic director, Dr Elliot Shevel (81), recently suspended by the Health Professionals Council of SA (HPCSA) pending an investigation into the deaths of two patients.
Shevel, a maxillo-facial and oral surgeon, started The Headache Clinic in 1992 and has served as its medical director ever since.
The complaint was filed with the HPCSA last week by Tristan Clarke, who said his father Bruce Johnstone was reduced to a vegetative state allegedly after a procedure at the Headache Clinic in Johannesburg in 2022.
Clarke was just 20 when he went from matric student to the head of the household, carer of his disabled father and dad to his brothers, aged 11 and 13.
He told News24 his world collapsed on 3 November 2022 after his father went to The Headache Clinic for a procedure to cure tension headaches.
But the staff subsequently called an ambulance to take Johnstone to Milpark Hospital after he collapsed and lost consciousness during an unspecified procedure.
He was diagnosed with a bilateral haemorrhage to the brain. He is alive, said his son, but in a vegetative state. The former cyber security specialist now spends his days on the couch watching TV, unable to communicate or move, receiving round-the-clock care.
The family is in a precarious financial state, and the middle child, who needed to go to an assisted learning school for severe ADHD, has not been able to do so.
Clarke submitted his complaint last week against Shevel, who was suspended after the deaths of two patients – one in June, and the other in 2021.
In response to News24, Shevel denied the procedure was even performed on the day Johnstone collapsed. He has also denied culpability in the death of another patient, Marinella Avvakoumides (38), who lost her life after Shevel performed his “desensitisation procedure” on her. She died after a brain haemorrhage.
Not breathing
Johnstone adopted Clarke in 2015 after marrying his mother. The couple divorced in 2019 after having two other children, and in 2020, Johnstone took full custody of all the boys when his ex-wife left for the UK.
Clarke said Johnstone was “my best friend and biggest supporter”.
“To me, my dad died on that day in November,” he said. “He was a healthy 50-year-old who had never smoked, was a regular at the gym and was hands-on with a family that relied on him.”
His father’s headaches were not debilitating. “They were stress-related and mildly frustrating, and he wanted to get them seen to.”
He said the morning of the procedure was routine, with the boys being dropped at school.
“I was busy with my matric exams. I was going to apply for the Royal Marines. My dad served in the SA military, and we were talking about it.
“He said he hoped to get his headaches sorted out that day. We hugged, and he dropped me off.”
That was the last time his father spoke to him.
Clarke said he had no inclination that anything had gone wrong until he received a call from Milpark Hospital at 3.30pm. The hospital said Johnstone had arrived in an ambulance.
“I was told to go to the hospital. I packed my dad a bag with everything he would need for a short stay.”
At 4.15, Clarke spoke to a neurologist who said they didn’t know what had happened, only that Johnstone was in a “serious condition” and needed more medical tests.
“They took me to that room for grieving families and said they were working on my dad. They said …he was not breathing.”
Johnstone remained in the ICU, unconscious and on a ventilator after suffering seizures.
“What I saw in ICU was the worst thing. The uncertainty made it worse. I was told he could hear me, so I went every day and spoke to him. I told my brothers … he was recovering from the procedure in hospital.”
Clarke said after three weeks, the doctors established that Johnstone had suffered a bleeding stroke to the brain.
“They said it was a ‘bilateral haemorrhage', and it was unclear what would happen next. They said it was unusual as he was in a good condition before that – healthy,” Clarke said.
In December, Johnstone was released to a specialist rehabilitation facility, where he received physiotherapy and kinesiology. He went home in February 2023.
“He’s at home but fully disabled. He has two full-time nurses to assist him because it's too much for me. I’ve got work, and I have to look after the boys.
“He's alive but not.”
He said his father’s brain was so badly damaged that all he can do is smile, mumble and grunt.
He said The Headache Clinic never contacted them.
In his statement to the HPCSA, Clarke said he called the clinic in late 2023 to establish what had happened to his father during the procedure.
“A woman told me my father had begun with his treatment but about 20 minutes later, had collapsed and was unconscious.”
Clarke said the clinic gave the family a refund after the procedure.
“Doctors said he will never recover physically… he is also unable to talk. Doctors are hopeful that in several years, he may be able to say some words, but he will never be able to have a normal conversation.
“My father and our family have endured years of pain and trauma as a result of the treatment provided by The Headache Clinic,” said his statement to the HPCSA.
Despite what had happened to his father, Clarke completed matric and received a bachelor’s degree. He now works as an accounts manager for various Gauteng food chain stores.
“My dreams and aspirations have taken a back seat; I’ve got two kids now,” he said.
Christos Wilkinson, a long-time friend and curator of Johnstone’s estate, told the HPCSA the family’s monthly costs, including Johnstone’s special care, were around R75 000.
He confirmed R21 000 was refunded by The Headache Clinic, which he believed was due to them, and which would go into the family trust.
In a response to News24, Shevel said: “Mr Johnstone’s incident occurred before he had treatment. He was being prepared for theatre when he received a very distressing personal call, I believe, regarding divorce and a custody battle for his children. Shortly thereafter he collapsed and was admitted to hospital immediately.
“I called the hospital many times to check on him and his children, and left messages on a relative’s phone who was listed as next of kin. We were in touch with her for a month after the incident. We refunded the payment as he had not yet undergone the procedure, and it was the right thing to do.”
He said he would fully co-operate with the HPCSA inquiry.
Shevel one of few
The suspension of a practitioner without a formal inquiry by the HPCSA is so rarely applied; it has only happened nine times over the past four years – Shevel being the ninth.
According to one legal practice, immediate suspension is one of the harshest punitive measures that can be taken to protect the public interest, applied only in extreme cases.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Headache Clinic founder suspended after patient deaths
Five golden rules to reduce patient harm or risk
CHIPS: Widespread misdiagnosis and mismanagement of cluster headaches