God and the goddamn slips

I am at war with God !

Yes with doctors whom the suffering treat as Gods. The experience and incidences I am hearing about some of them are prompting me to take up against them, though I have the greatest respect for this ilk. This admiration has not a bit diminished, as even some months back I made a post in my blog "Gods in White Coats". But the recent incidents have shaken me as to how callous some doctors could be.

Sometime in the 90s my friend had a complex fracture in his hand from a bike skidding and had metal plates inserted. After 15 years when he was having some disturbances with minor pain, a local orthopedic, suggested removal of those plates and even fixed the date for surgery. Providentially, when he took a second opinion with another popular ortho, he was shocked to know that the removal of the plates was not possible as bone has grown over them. It should have been removed within 2 years else to be left as it is. Any attempt to remove them now will only result in crushing the newly formed bones, thereby making him a permanently disabled person without his hand, he was told.

Another relative who had undergone an angioplasty went for the first consultation after his discharge from the hospital. While the doctor prescribed the correct medicines, the assistant who wrote the prescription gave the medicine name wrongly thus omitting the vital "Aspirin" component. His son accidentally (fortunately?)  noticed the slip and brought it to the notice of the doctor whose first reaction was to ask them to rush back to the hospital and destroy the wrong prescription, a vital piece of evidence had things gone wrong.

Few years back when my brother undertook a routine complete medical checkup, the attending doctor reading the reports said there was a hazy spot in one of the X Rays and 'if he is interested and can afford it' he could go for further tests. Since the option was given to him he chose to skip further tests.

Another friend had some urinary problems in 2007 and took a scan from a 'Nationally' well known scan center which suggested some cancerous growth. The urologist who studied the scan somehow chose to or was negligent in reading the report properly with the result the finding went unattended.  Now in 2012, when he went for a routine checkup the doctor sat up on seeing the 2007 report and urged him to get a scan done immediately. To the relief of everyone, particularly the doctor, the results were 'benign'. He then went on to 'advice' not to take scans in that particular center as the reports about that was not good. That he was silent on why he did not react then is a different issue.

The same 'National . . .' scan Lab mixed up the report of my brother and delivered a combo report with the top page of his and the rest of the pages of a different patient. When the faux pas was detected only by a family member, the lab said' Sorry' !!

In all the above cases, Doctor's/Hospital's / Lab's negligence was at the centre despite a huge bill being sucked up from the patient.

What if he had gone ahead with an attempt to remove the plates? His bones would have crumbled and he would be a permanently disabled person.

What if the attendant has not noticed the absence of administering of Aspirin/Disprin for a heart patient? I leave it to the doctors' learned mind to imagine the consequences. I am more shocked by the cunningness of the doctor in procuring the slip back and destroying it, to cover his back.

The failure of the doctor in not insisting on an immediate follow-up resulted in my brother's death due to lung cancer! If the complete medical check results are not analyzed and patient not advised on the followup action  what is the purpose of undergoing such checks other than filling up the coffers of the hospital?

What if the cancerous growth maliciously warned by the lab report was true? The patient would not have gone for the next checkup in 2012, as he would have gone forever.

How can a lab center afford to provide incorrect medical report and also negligent in mixing up the reports? 

What is the recourse of the innocent patients who could only pay and go for medical checkups?

When I was lamenting with these thoughts, my learned nephew who works for an insurance major tells me that in countries like US, there are policies for liabilities under 'errors and omissions' committed by professionals such as doctors. Not sure whether doctors in India are aware of this or chose to be blissfully ignorant. Is it not time to make it mandatory for them to explore such avenues for compensations in case of liabilities due to negligence? But, in the case of loss of life and debilitating diseases such as cancer . . . .??  God help the patients. When people treat the doctors as 'Gods in White Coats' its time they realize the expectations and deliver more responsibly. 

In the light of such disturbing revelations, would it be impertinent to suggest that such doctors read daily the Oath of Hippocrates  whereby they 'promise to preserve life and act in the best interest of the patient'?