Mr Philip Mathew 2019-02-03 Person 5 5 0

I have had my fair share of bad experiences with doctors but I am very happy to say that Mr. Philip Mathew stands miles apart from the rest. He has given me a spark of hope that not all Health Professionals are as bad as I have always experienced. In the spring of 2018, I had injured my finger and it had healed perfectly, so I thought nothing of it. However, my finger continued to be painful although it had healed with a perfect scar. I therefore went to King George Hospital A&E. There, foreign bodies were identified within my finger. Specifically, fragments of glass healed inside my finger with micro fragments within the joint, in addition to a couple of shards of glass through my tendon. My finger also drooped and behaved like mallet finger. I was told I would have to have surgery and that maybe my finger would never be straight again. As you might imagine I was terrified, not only because I had to have a surgery (as I had previous bad experiences) but also because I play music and the little fingers play a very important role. Thereafter, I was referred to Queens Hospital for the surgery. At this point I was further horrified - as they have had a lot of bad publicity in general but also for surgery. I had no choice of course of whom to be referred to, so when the day came, I turned up for my first appointment. Understandably I was very anxious. Whilst there I asked the other patients if they were seeing Mr Philip Mathew. Some of course said yes so I politely asked for more information. To my surprise, everyone was happy to share their stories and further still, highly recommend Mr. Mathew. I started feeling a little more at ease but of course, I had not yet seen him. When I finally met Mr Philip Mathew I saw for myself that what I was told by the other patients was true. He was kind, polite and he listened, he treated me as a human being and not just another number, as most health professionals do - and this is a common belief among patients. He explained the pros and cons of having the surgery and I could see that not only did he know what he was talking about but that he has a passion for what he does. He was calm, positive and this further reassured me that I was in good hands, so the surgery went ahead as planned. I would like to say a HUGE "Thank You!" for a perfectly done surgery. I know that it was only my little finger but to me it is very important for it to be perfectly functional as I play music. Many of your patients say that you are a great surgeon but I say that you are not only a great surgeon but also a great human being. You do not only operate for the sake of operating - you care about your patients and you take pride in your work. These are indeed very rare qualities in doctors and surgeons alike. I would also like to say HUGE "Thank You!" to your surgical team. As the saying goes, a team is only as good as the person who leads them. I am very grateful and count myself very lucky that my surgeon was Mr Philip Mathew. He is an excellent surgeon. Wishing you all the very best, CM Georgiou