(ConservativeJournal.org) – Two Portland area hospitals are warning patients that a recently suspended anesthesiologist may have exposed them to infectious diseases like Hepatitis and HIV. Providence Portland Willamette Falls Medical Center and Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center in or around Portland, Oregon, sent letters to some 2,400 patients informing them that they might want to come in and get a free disease screening, just to be safe.
The letter did not specify what exactly the risk was or how the doctor in question specifically failed to follow appropriate sterile technique. They did assure patients that the risk of infection was low, despite the warning. It did say that a recently fired anesthesiologist who had worked at the two facilities over a six-month period and was subcontracted through the Oregon Anesthesiology Group failed to properly perform infection control protocols which put patients at risk of contracting potential infectious diseases like HIV, Hep B or Hep C.
The letter suggests free testing and is willing to advise and help patients should they come back with a positive result and need treatment.
The individual in question was fired in May for the behavior. He’s also not been identified in written coverage of the affair. Oregon Anesthesiology Group said that they’ve implemented “new protocols and procedures” to avoid something similar from happening again.
Medical malpractice is incredibly common and often results in the death of patients. A 2016 study was highlighted by members of the corporate press in which it was shown that nearly 250,000 people die every year from medical mistakes by professionals. In this case, one man was able to put over 2,000 people at risk of potentially fatal infectious diseases and his behavior went on for months before it was caught.
In Tennessee, one doctor operated on the wrong baby. Other potential errors include operating on the wrong site on the patient, administering the wrong medication, or failing to accurately confirm and cross-check the patient’s needs.
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