Indian doctor in biggest US malpractice scandal

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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If you have been to Las Vegas and been to this place better get tested. Las Vegas is tourist center & this guy should be held responsible for his crime. 100s of 1000s of people around world could be infected b/c of this guy.

http://dawn.com/2008/03/10/top8.htm

Indian doctor in biggest US malpractice scandal

By Masood Haider

NEW YORK, March 9: As many as 40,000 people may have been infected with the deadly hepatitis C virus or HIV from a Las Vegas clinic, owned by Dr Dipak Desai, an Indian American, in what is emerging as one of the biggest malpractice scandals in the US history.

The city of Las Vegas shut down Dr Desai’s Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada after state health officials determined six patients had contracted hepatitis C because of unsafe practices, including clinic staff reusing syringes and vials. State health officials are trying to contact patients who got anaesthesia by injection at the clinic to urge them to get tested for hepatitis C, hepatitis B and HIV.

Nevada State health officials said they weren’t sure how many of the 40,000 patients they had contacted since making the risk public last week. At least initially, they didn’t have correct addresses for 1,400.

Dr Dipak Desai purchased space for an open letter in the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Sunday in which he expressed “my deepest sympathy to all our patients and their families for the fear and uncertainty that naturally arises from this situation.”

Dr Desai said a foundation was being set up to cover testing costs. He also defended practices at his clinic, which performs colonoscopies.

“The evidence does not support that syringes or needles were ever reused from patient to patient at the centre,” he wrote.

Several lawsuits have been filed and a hearing is scheduled this week before a state legislative committee.

It may never be known how many people contracted hepatitis C because of unsafe practices at the endoscopy centre. Brian Labus, head epidemiologist of the Southern Nevada Health District, said that because four per cent of the population had hepatitis C, he expected to get numerous positive results from tests of at-risk clinic patients.

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Re: Indian doctor in biggest US malpractice scandal

This is sad indeed. But I am glad Dr.Desai is not hiding but is right up front taking remedial action and offering testing and assistance to the affected peope.

Here is a slight more balanced report and details about him, since I find the Dawn report seeming more interested in the Indian origin of this doctor rather than the problem.

Full report here

“I wasn’t born rich, and sometimes you have to give something back to the society in which you live,” Desai said in a 1992 Review-Journal story about local doctors providing free treatment to striking Frontier Hotel workers."

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Re: Indian doctor in biggest US malpractice scandal

[QUOTE]

NEW YORK, March 9: As many as 40,000 people may have been infected with the deadly hepatitis C virus or HIV from a Las Vegas clinic, owned by Dr Dipak Desai, an Indian American, in what is emerging as one of the biggest malpractice scandals in the US history.
[/QUOTE]

This is brutal!
This guy needs to be convicted asap.

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yes he need to be

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There was another "bat" looking indian doctor in canada who sold vital organs(livers) to ppl.
He stole them from alive people from and sold to to people who needed a transplant. He had like huge house in toronto.
He was in news paper in toronto. His indian neighbors describe him as "good guy"

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Re: Indian doctor in biggest US malpractice scandal

Particularly because he was born in India. Chalo, mitahai baato!

What should a guy do....
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Re: Indian doctor in biggest US malpractice scandal

The fact that he’s Indian is irrelevant.

"Health authorities found that nurses used syringes more than once for individual patients, allowing their blood to taint vials of anesthetics that were then used for other patients, contaminating their blood — a violation of basic disease prevention methods.

Nurses told investigators that Desai and other managers ordered these shortcuts to save money."

A first year medical student could tell you that’s incredibly stupid and dangerous. As a physician, I’m usually rather skeptical about most of the big malpractice lawsuits you hear about (like the John Ritter wrongful death case)…but it sounds like this guy was down right reckless & negligent, and deserves what he has coming.

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This has nothing to do with him being Indian! If he would be Pakistani I would state the same.

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^ there is a difference, If he were a pakistani we all would have wished him dead.
unlike indians who support country men no matter what

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That is not a good thing at all. I will not support anybody who does this sort of thing, even if Indian. But I will want a quick and thorough investigation to prove the facts of the case before convicting and punishing.

I'd love to think Indians are 100% virtuous and beyond blemish, but criminals exist in all societies.

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If his being Indian was irrelevant, do you think shamrrzkhan would have opened this thread?

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dude , sorry to break you little dreams, but india has an illegal base.
I mean like US your country started by bullying smaller states. Encroachment of kashmir and haiderabad.
And every indian supports it out love of their motherland.
I mean supporting is one thing they don't even think its wrong.
That over whelming love is hazardous!!!

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There seems to be more in the story than what meets the eyes. A disposable syringe costs only 20 cents. I am sure those nurses were lethargic and lazy and now blaming it on the managers and doctors. No doctor in America can become millionaire by saving 20 cents off of a patients where total diagnostic , treatment , consultation bill can run into hundreds of dollars.
Only a real crazy practice owner can issue this kind of directives to nursing staff. The nurses in USA have been known to be performing mercy killing , strangling , beating , raping patients in addition to being shoddy in performing their assigned duties. Again not all nurses are good or all nurses are bad. Not all doctors are good and not all doctors are bad.
Nationality or origin of a person is irrelevant in these kind of scandals.

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That make more sense. but 40,000 ppl ???
How many actually got infected ????
Is 40,000 is the no of patient treated in the clinic ??? they all my not be infected??

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Here is an excerpt from the report:
health officials have determined that six patients treated at Desai’s Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada were infected there with hepatitis C, a potentially lethal blood-borne virus. Investigators believe they became infected when workers used contaminated syringes and vials when injecting patients with medication.

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so actually 6 ppl.
but the way ccn does things its 40,000. hmmm

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The following politics seems to be behind this publicity of the case , malpractice lawyers do not like, a malpractice cap of $350,000 , imposed by State of Nevada. On a side note the doctor in the story has surrendered his practice license voluntarily.

"
http://www.correntewire.com/dr_dipak_desai_or_why_we_need_trial_lawyers
Not long ago, an organization named Keep Our Doctors in Nevada pressured the Legislature into an emergency session and persuaded Nevada citizens to vote for medical malpractice protection, all in the name of a phony “medical malpractice crisis.”
Dr. Dipak Desai and the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada were among the practices behind the Keep Our Doctors in Nevada group. As a result, medical providers, including Dr. Desai and his clinic, are protected by caps on damage awards.
Does anyone now think $350,000 is adequate compensation for the pain and suffering that will be endured by any patient of Dr. Desai who contracts HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B or hepatitis C?"

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The Dr. being indian is of absolutely no relavance to wht he did and wht kind of dr. he is :smack:

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It sounds like state health authorities have already investigated and issued their report. In any case, this isn't India - he will be tried in court, not summarily punished.

Considering the fact that this is essentially a career-ending scandal, I think Dr. Desai would be denying the allegations much more vehemently if there was no truth to them. Instead, he has surrendered his medical license, and has taken out a full-page ad offering free testing to patients, and declaring that all recommended changes have been made at the clinic.

The syringes aren't what made him a millionaire. It sounds like he was a shrewd businessman running a very successful specialty practice. I think the news media is causing a lot of this confusion by focusing on the details of his relatively lavish lifestyle.

40,000 is the number of patients potentially exposed. In all likelihood, most of them will not have contracted any serious illnesses; however, it's still important that they be tested to make sure.

From what I understand, they know about 6 people who were infected in 1 day at the clinic, and that's what spurred this investigation.

It sounds like Dr. Desai may have done some serious damage to the malpractice tort reform movement. Malpractice reform in necessary in the US, where people feel entitled to sue their physicians to make a quick buck if there's any adverse outcome at all. The situation in Nevada had gotten so bad that in certain areas nearly all of the Obstetricians (the highest risk specialty in terms of malpractice lawsuits) closed their practices...and the majority of births in areas of the state were taking place in emergency rooms because there were no OB's to take the cases.

What these lawyers are neglecting to mention is that most of these tort reform bills include provisions for the non-economic damages cap to be lifted, if it can be proven that the physician is guilty of gross negligence (which I'm sure people will be arguing in this case).

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Lets get the Indian origin issue out of the way. It could as easily be a Pakistani or Egyptian or a Caucasian doctor. Crooked professionals are not limited to only certain nationalities. Those who are snickering at Indian origin have minds smaller than a toothpick.

Now lets talk about the blogger who said
[quote]
Dr. Dipak Desai and the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada were among the practices behind the Keep Our Doctors in Nevada group. As a result, medical providers, including Dr. Desai and his clinic, are protected by caps on damage awards.
[/quote]

This makes it sound like Dr Desai was the driving force behind limiting medical malpractice damages in Nevada and the implication is that he was snide to push for limit on his financial exposure while exposing his patients to potentially fatal diseases. May or may not be true. Whenever a legislation like this is proposed all trade groups take sides. Likely ALL doctors and medical professional in Nevada supported this legislation, so to point out Dr Desai as a conniving professional because he pushed for this, may be far from realty. There is not enough information to discuss this.

This is the most critical part. Tort reforms only usually limit punitive damages. They do not limit compensatory damages. To put simply, all medical expenses for people who got affected by this issue, will be fully reimbursed, regardless of any limits. Its only the punitive damages, over and above compensatory damages, that are limited by Nevada statute. Here is what the Nevada voters approved in 2004

[quote]

Nevada Ballot, 2004 Election. Question 3, Passed. Amends NRS Ch. 41A. $350,000 limit on non-economic damages, no exceptions.

§42.005. $300,000 or 3 times compensatory damages limit on punitive damages, only awarded by court for fraud, oppression, or malice.

[/quote]
So, when a statement like "Does anyone now think $350,000 is adequate compensation for the pain and suffering that will be endured by any patient of Dr. Desai who contracts HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B or hepatitis C?" is made, lets keep things in perspective. All medical costs will be covered, and only punitive damages may have a limit of 3 times the compensatory damages.

There is a reason why punitive damages are limited. With sky-high punitive damage verdicts, insurance premiums for medical professionals go up, and these costs are then passed on to each and every one of us through higher co-payments and higher medical premiums or higher fees for medical services. Make no mistake. One way or the other, we, the people, pay for all this. If someone wins a multi-million dollar punitive verdict against a doctor, you bet that you will end up paying for part of that amount.