Patients often place their very lives in the hands of health care professionals. That’s why it is so important that doctors or nurses perform their duties diligently and with all due care. A mistake, even a relatively simple one, could end up causing a patient serious physical injury or even death.
In that vein, readers may be interested to know the State of New Jersey is accusing an anesthesiologist of medical malpractice. The complaint filed by the state Board of Medical Examiners specifically accuses the 47-year-old doctor of gross negligence, malpractice and incompetence.
This is not the first time the doctor has faced such charges. He previously practiced in England, but moved to the United States after he was convicted of manslaughter when a patient under his care tragically died. In 2003, his license was suspended for six months by the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners for failure to disclose that conviction.
In the present matter, the state believes that he has been performing spinal surgery without the proper training. In one particular tragic instance, a patient of his was, according to court documents, “left a cripple in constant agonizing pain.” If the accusations are true the patient may be able to recoup compensation by filing a medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor.
For now, as a result of a voluntary agreement with no admission of wrongdoing, the doctor is allowed to perform only minor surgery that requires no anesthesia as he awaits the outcome of the state’s allegations. If the allegations are proven, the doctor faces possible suspension or revocation of his medical license in New Jersey.
The matter illustrates the point that medical malpractice may result in licensing sanctions against a health care professional. If the state’s accusations are true, then this doctor was knowingly performing medical procedures for which he did not have the proper training.
Source: NorthJersey.com, “Spine doctor agrees to halt surgical work,” Lindy Washburn, May 10, 2012
