Antiguan Woman Sues Dr. Joey John After Years of Pain Following 2020 Operation

An Antiguan woman has filed a lawsuit against prominent surgeon Dr. Joseph “Joey” John and his clinic, Medical Surgical Associates, claiming that a 2020 operation left her in severe pain for nearly two years and forced her to undergo major corrective surgery in Germany.

Thirty-four-year-old Ananthsa McDonald of Powells Estate says the procedure—performed in June 2020 and intended to treat a hiatal hernia—instead triggered a series of debilitating complications that disrupted her health, her livelihood, and her daily life. She is seeking compensation for the suffering, medical costs, and financial losses she says were caused by the ordeal.

“I kept getting worse” — McDonald says she pleaded for answers

According to the claim filed in the High Court, McDonald began experiencing chest pain and shortness of breath in May 2020. After medical tests, Dr. John recommended a Nissen fundoplication, a surgery that tightens the top of the stomach to reduce acid reflux.

McDonald says she relied on his advice and underwent the operation on June 15, 2020 at Medical Surgical Associates.

But instead of recovering within the six weeks she says she was promised, McDonald claims she immediately began experiencing frightening and persistent symptoms—burning in her throat, difficulty swallowing, dizziness, anxiety, fatigue, chest and back pain, and rapid weight loss. She says she returned to the clinic repeatedly, but received no explanation for the worsening condition. Instead, the filing states, she was advised to see a psychiatrist.

Struggling to work and losing jobs

McDonald says her health issues left her unable to keep steady employment.
The claim details that she lost three jobs between 2020 and 2022:

Ananthsa McDonald Claim Form & …

She claims that without the complications from the surgery, she would have been able to maintain full-time employment.

Second opinions abroad revealed alarming findings

As her condition worsened, McDonald sought further medical help. In December 2021, urologist Dr. Dwayne Twaites examined her and noted signs suggesting a severe tightening at the esophageal junction—where the esophagus meets the stomach (Exhibit AMD2). He recommended urgent evaluation by a specialist.

Ananthsa McDonald Claim Form & …

She later travelled to Munich, Germany, where renowned laparoscopic surgeon Dr. Bernd Ablassmaier performed detailed tests and a six-hour corrective operation in January 2022. His findings, included in the lawsuit, state that:

Ananthsa McDonald Claim Form & …

German doctors removed the tight wrap created during the 2020 surgery and reconstructed the area.

Medical records dispute

In the filing, McDonald also alleges that she repeatedly asked Dr. John and the clinic for her medical records but was never given them, even as her condition declined and she sought overseas care.

Life improving after corrective surgery

Following the procedure in Munich, McDonald says her symptoms gradually improved. By August 2022, she was able to secure full-time employment as a lecturer at the American University of Antigua, where she still works.

What she is seeking

McDonald is asking the court to award damages for:

Hotel bills, flight costs, and local medical receipts were filed as part of the claim (Schedule A).

Ananthsa McDonald Claim Form & …

No response yet from Dr. John

The lawsuit was filed on November 25, 2025. A defence had not yet been filed at the time the claim form was submitted.

Claim Form Below:

Ananthsa McDonald Claim Form & Statement of Claim