Comments on: Legal battle in US federal court after HIV+ woman denied surgery

By: Dusty

Dusty — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:34:26 +0000

I'd be questioning the practices, education, and facilities of a doctor who feels he is not fit to operate on someone with a blood disease. It's the doctor's responsibility to safeguard himself and his staff as much as possible against all medical risks, and he is casting great doubt on his level of responsibility. He isn't confident in the safety of his operating room and/or procedures. He should be reviewed and, if needed, suspended from practice until he is.

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By: ourfirst

ourfirst — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:35:55 +0000

I work in a large health care facility here in the states. Our main worry is not the known infection but the patients that have not or will not be diagnosed with any one of several infections that have no cure. We handle the waste and soiled linens from patient care areas and everything is handled as if it were highly infectious.
This doctor would lose his privlige to treat patients where I work.
What do you call the person that graduates at the bottom of the class in medical school . . . doctor.

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By: Rigato

Rigato — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 22:29:22 +0000

Well I guess there's a damn good reason I'm not a doctor, ok? I was pointing out the risk of just one drop of blood getting through that latex, and the man's screwed up for life. It's a legitimate fear. Just because you're protected doesn't mean you won't think twice about jumping in a shark tank. Jesus you people are quick to tear someone's throat out. I doubt you look on encarta before you post, and it's just my opinion. For your information, Jay, I like to be corrected kindly, not debased with some stereotypical image of manhood. Besides, I'd never drink Coors…especially after all those boycotts we did in the 70s.

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By: AndySam

AndySam — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:54:19 +0000

This doctor deserves to be struck off and barred from practising medicine for breeching his Hioppcratic Oath!

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By: Will

Will — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:15:05 +0000

How enlightened you are Rigato. I can only assume the nearest thing you'll ever get to being a doctor is watching Chicago Hope while you polish off a few Coors Lights.

You should really get yourself informed before using words like "common sense" in your posts, it just makes you sound like a liar.

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By: Jay

Jay — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:53:25 +0000

I wonder if she was really refused surgery because of her status. The doctor would have known he could be sued for millions. She may be lying. The US is prone to people filing fraudulent lawsuits.

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By: Flapjack

Flapjack — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:34:19 +0000

Rigato- I would guess you'd never make the grade as a doctor then. Doctors are obliged to operate on patients who need it, regardless of HIV status. If medics are so cack handed they can't weild a scalpel without cutting themselves open, they shouldn't perform surgery anyway, on anybody.

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By: Christina Engela

Christina Engela — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:07:42 +0000

How can this NOT be discrimination? What kind of a doctor refuses to help a patient in need of his services? What does he think he is, a car salesman?

A man like that should be permanently removed from the medical profession, he is UNFIT to be a doctor, arbitrarily choosing whoever he feels like helping. Having broken and disregarded his Hippocratic oath as a healer, he is prone to unethical behavior is untrustworthy and patients are therefore at risk under his care. He is a disgrace to the medical profession.

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By: Alaras

Alaras — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 03:09:29 +0000

It IS discrimination. Doctors are not allowed to say no to an HIV+ patient based on their HIV status. They ARE allowed to factor it in when determining whether or not to perform a given procedure, and most will not operate on an HIV+ patient unless it is necessary, but there are plenty of measures taken to prevent transmission, and the average doctor stays well-covered to prevent contact with blood anyway. They operate all the time on patients with unknown HIV status, so it's not an excuse, and before you ask, my father's a doctor who has operated in the past on patients with HIV and other STDs, and any other doctor could readily back up my statement.

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By: J.S.D.

J.S.D. — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 02:52:56 +0000

That's not how it works. It's not like he's taking her blood and smearing it all over his cut up body. The operation would have been done in a sterile environment with all the safety precautions taken to insure that there is no pathological risk involved. You can't get HIV just by touching the blood of an HIV+ person. He IS supposed to be wearing a suit for an operation.

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By: Rigato

Rigato — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:59:36 +0000

I wouldn't perform surgery on an HIV positive woman either! If there's a chance, even a slight one, of me getting her disease by contact with her blood…hell no. It's not discrimination, it's common sense!

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