You should be glad you are alive!
In med school, a work experience in a hospital in UAE was in order for me. I had absolutely no idea what the medical landscape back home looks like, what sort of diseases were prevalent, how the system worked and how to communicate with people, what they expect from you and what to expect from them. The gap grew larger as I advanced in my degree and I really had to do something about it so, before graduation, I set aside two months and headed home to work in one of the larger district general hospitals in UAE. While training in the surgical department of this hospital I encountered a shameful incident, the memory of which make me sick with disgust.
A patient was admitted into the ward. I cant remember why exactly, perhaps it was a colorectal problem. I remember seeing him a day or so before. There was some disagreement as to whether he should go for surgery or not (not unusual). The more senior surgeon decided against it but one night, when he was not there, an other surgeon took the patient to theatre and cut him open. During surgery, there was a major screw up and the patient’s spleen bled profusely and they tried to stabilise it but their attempts were hopeless. They had no choice but to perform a splenectomy and remove it all together. It was a mistake. His spleen should not have been involved in the surgery but it did and mistakes happen. People acknowledge that surgeons are humans and they make mistakes too.
What followed though was unacceptable and disgusting. Normally, the surgeon would have the decency to talk to the patient and explain what happened and apologise. Not in this case, the surgeon went home after the surgery, came back the next day and completely ignored the patient. She probably did not want a reminder of her screw-up. Two days after the surgery, the patient overheard the nurses saying he no longer has a spleen. TWO DAYS after the surgery he OVERHEARD that he is spleenless! On that morning, during a ward round, a nurse walked towards our small gathering and said to the lead consultant:
-”Your patient in room 6 is asking what happened to his spleen and why it had to be taken out.”
Guess what the response was? Mr Big Shot Surgeon looks inside the room, wiggles his index finger at the patient and says in an angry voice:
- “you should be glad you are alive!”
and walks off.
F****ing twat! We screwed up! we failed this patient and now he will have to live all his life spleenless, prone to infections and in need of regular vaccinations which he probably can not afford and all you could say to him is “you should be glad you are alive!” Thats it! no decency to take responsibility! What happened to your oath?
Every time I remember this story, my blood boils with anger and I feel literally sick. The incident was never reported while I was there in the hospital and I have no reason to believe that it did when I left. Both the now-spleenless-patient, the consultant who screwed up the surgery and the consultant who covered it up were of the same foreign nationality. The difference is that the patient was of a poor background making less money all his life than what one of these two twats makes in few months sitting in their offices.
PS: This post is dedicated to Mr X, the surgical patient who had his spleen removed and to this day does not know that those who he entrusted with his life failed miserably.
July 8th, 2007 at 8:53 am
My goodness, what a terrible story. Thanks for not mentioning any blood, I don’t think I can handle more graphic stories this morning! Well, I had to look up exactly what spleen was but it seems to be quite an important organ. Can’t believe how this was covered up. Must have been a real eye-opener to the “regional” industry!
July 8th, 2007 at 10:25 am
Sadly, I hear stories like these all the time. Lets face it, doctors are not saints. we make mistakes, we sometimes fear for our careers and we are sometimes selfish. Luckily, the majority of people seem to ignore these facts.
July 8th, 2007 at 10:58 am
e3ashig, unfortunately this is a common story in our hospitals. I came across a 60 yrs old VIP patient who wanted to go abroad (on gov. expenses) to be treated while the treatment is available in the country, when the consultant told him he wont add false facts to the report just to make that happen, the patient decided he needs a PET scan (that is not available in the country). The consultant refused because patient does not need a PET scan, however he wrote the report based on a phone call of one of the administratives! At the same time, there was a 28 yrs old female, who needed to do a PET scan to know the disease progression in her body. The consultant wrote her a report to go as soon as possible. And guess what, the administration decided to send the VIP patient and refused to send the 28 yrs old patient (who eventually travelled on her own expenses)!!!!!!
July 8th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
I do believe all of that happening here, and even elsewhere but the difference wud be having the guts to admit it at least & not let the Pride & selfishness drive them away from their work ethics..
July 8th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
It’s good that at least they are in the minority, but it’s a shame that there is no effective ethics or standards board that can flag up or at least record these incidences, even if in private, so that if/when they go above a certain level the doc is pulled…
July 10th, 2007 at 9:24 am
Oh my god, Dr.s do that? wallah 7ram, she should be at least questioned by the Admin.s there..reports have to be written, and explanations have to be made ! 3afana allaah, mashay raqabah, and hb met3aljeh 3endkum :p
July 10th, 2007 at 9:51 am
am not shocked, that’s not the first story i hear… and they keep wondering why ppl travel hundred miles away even for a flue… coz, here they could chop ur lungs off n give u some sh***y reasons!!
why didnt u report against that Dr. ?? that incident cannot be ignored .. that might not be the first patient … u could save others from that psycho Dr. ..
what’s the name of that hospital .. it’s certainly should be black listed lol .. save us n give us a name lol
July 24th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
OMG!! Thats like hit and run!! Someone needs to explain to the poor patients his rights!!
July 25th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
***an other surgeon took the patient to theatre and cut him open
OMG … r they even otherised to do that
i mean another surgeon taking the place and patian of the actual surrgeon
July 30th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
It’s really sad. I know a woman who once had to be treated for ectopic pregnancy at an Abu Dhabi hospital. Years later, when she was still unable to conceive again, she had investigative surgery in the UK. They found that both her fallopian tubes had just been severed by the surgeon. For no reason, no explanation, nothing. Attempts to mend them failed, and she was never able to have a child. Nor was she ever able to sue.
This was twenty years ago, and I had assumed things were much better now. But according to your sad stories, seemingly not.