‘My art is my way of showing people how the Department of Health nearly destroyed me’ BEEN TO HELL AND BACK: George H Smyth An artist tragically widowed after his wife was misdiagnosed by disgraced doctor Michael Watt says this is the artwork that saved his life. George H Smyth was plunged into an alcoholic abyss after his beautiful wife Rachel died at the age of just 46. She was one of many patients who was ‘looked after’ by former neurologist Dr Michael Watt whose failures sparked the biggest NHS recall in Northern Ireland and who is now the subject of a major police investigation.
Rachel died in 2018 after Dr Watt treated her for lupus when in fact she had multiple sclerosis. The Ardglass renowned artist, who has showcased his work in cities like New York and LA says his life spiralled out of control and he almost killed himself with alcohol as he fought to deal with the unnecessary loss of his “best friend”. Now George has released a collection of his most striking pieces which depicts the nightmare he has gone through since losing Rachel so prematurely, six years ago.
CATHARTIC: George’s sketches Simply entitled “In Hell” the drawings, using pen and ink, will show the public what patients and relatives of patients who died while being treated by Dr Watt have been going through. Though George penned around 30 he has put around half that on his website. The pieces of art are striking and depict death and the medical profession as well as the anguish and torture George has suffered personally.
“I started the collection in 2018 but I binned a lot of them because I worried if I showed them to anyone I’d get locked-up,” says George. “But I kept drawing because I found it to be a great release for me. I was reacting to what was going on inside.
There was real anger and that anger had to go somewhere. HAUNTING: George’s art “I have showed them to people now and they were shocked and now I’ve put them up on my website as they are now part of me. “As you know I very nearly died after I lost Rachel.
I ended up in hospital and my family were told I wasn’t going to make it but I survived somehow and my artwork definitely helped to save my life. “This is my way of showing people how the Department of Health nearly destroyed me and it depicts what they put me through. “An artist reacts not only to what is going on around him, but to what’s going on inside him as well.
I wanted to try and convey some of the pain that this whole process is causing.” “My anger and frustration had to go somewhere and using my art seemed like the obvious choice. “Drawing has proved cathartic, it has helped me express some of the emotions that had reached boiling point.
” Dr Watt made hundreds of misdiagnoses in patients over two decades including stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy in what is developing into the biggest scandal to ever hit the health service. Rachel Smyth was a former patient of neurologist Dr Michael Watt Many patients were told they had serious conditions they didn’t have and were given dangerous medication they didn’t need to take, while the Belfast Trust and then-Health Minister Robin Swann have apologised for failing to act sooner. As well as leaving thousands of living patients with horrific misdiagnoses, there have been thousands of former patients who have passed away while under his “care”.
Over the last two years the Sunday World has highlighted the cases of some of those families who are fighting for justice and truth about what happened to their loved ones – families who feel their relatives might still be alive today had they not been misdiagnosed by Dr Watt. A major police investigation, named ‘Operation Begrain’ was announced last November. Last night the PSNI confirmed 162 people have contacted the Operation Begrain investigation team.
George and other relatives of deceased patients met with the Health Committee last Tuesday to express their anger at the Department’s recent announcement they would not now be investigating all 3,500 deaths that took place over a ten-year period before Dr Watt’s errors were discovered. Instead they have said they will only investigate those deaths if relatives request it before the end of this year. Disgraced neurologist Dr Michael Watt Meanwhile George also reveals, while pushing for justice, he’s also been attending early sittings of the inquest into Rachel’s death after her case was referred to the coroner.
“It started in January and it has been very traumatic,” says George. “We’ve had five sittings so far and to keep me in the loop I get sent all the details about what will be discussed at the inquest on email. “That has included the last 30 minutes of Rachel’s life.
To see that written down in black and white is awful. Nobody should have to go through that. I lived it too.
” More of George's art George says he took up the offer of counselling sessions to help him try and process what he has been through. “It has been mental torture and there’s still no closure so I can’t grieve yet properly. I’ll be promoting the collection on my socials in the next few weeks.
“This is not about ego and I’m not selling anything – I just want to show the public what myself and many others like me have been put through by Watt and the Department (of Health). “After six-and-a-half years of no real justice or accountability for our loss, I wanted to raise awareness and generate discussion about how the family members of the deceased patients of Michael Watt are being treated like second class citizens. “The Department of Health doesn’t seem to be in any panic to make good the harm caused by Michael Watt.
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