Posted on 03/28/2009 5:02:34 AM PDT by kellynla
Chattanooga, Tenn. - Thousands of military veterans across the South are waiting to find out if they were exposed to infectious diseases by government clinics that performed colonoscopies and other procedures with equipment that wasn't properly sterilized.
Veterans Affairs officials won't say if mistakes that may have exposed patients to infections at medical centers in Tennessee and Florida and a clinic in Georgia have been discovered elsewhere.
The VA recently warned veterans who had colonoscopies as far back as five years ago at its hospitals in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Miami that they may have been exposed to the body fluids of other patients and should undergo tests to make sure they haven't contracted serious illnesses.
“What if you had to worry about giving your wife AIDS?” said Wayne Craig, a 52-year-old U.S. Navy veteran who lives in Elora and had a colonoscopy at the VA's Alvin C. York Medical Center in Murfreesboro, near Nashville, about five years ago. “Why haven't I been notified within five years?”
The VA declined to answer four Associated Press requests over the past week about the results of what the department described as a nationwide procedure and training review that was to end March 14. VA spokeswoman Laurie Tranter said the department planned to issue a response later Thursday.
The review of all VA medical centers and outpatient clinics followed reports in February that the department discovered “improperly reprocessed” endoscopic equipment used for colonoscopies in Murfreesboro and ear, nose and throat exams in Augusta, Ga.
Just this week, the VA acknowledged problems at a facility in Miami, too.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
ping
Gross! Yuck! horrible, just horrible
It always bothered me that the equipment looks the same as what they use for an upper GI (where they go down your throat).
Government run Health care. What more is there to say??
How horrible. Perfect example as to WHY we don’t need ‘government run healthcare’. It can’t even take care of our heroes. Discraceful.
How about: "Good enough for government work!"
How would you like to hear that as you are waking from anesthesia?
HEADS NEED TO ROLL on this one.
EXCEPT for the defense of our country by our outstanding military, government F's up virtually EVERYTHING it gets involved in.
Problem is, some of them, like Barney Frank, would ENJOY IT.
LOLOL!!! Sort of.
Sigh.
More evidence of the administration's "transparency."
The review of all VA medical centers and outpatient clinics followed reports in February that the department discovered “improperly reprocessed” endoscopic equipment used for colonoscopies in Murfreesboro and ear, nose and throat exams in Augusta, Ga.
Just this week, the VA acknowledged problems at a facility in Miami, too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In February, the VA said it sent letters offering the tests to about 6,400 patients who had colonoscopies between April 23, 2003, and Dec. 1, 2008, at Murfreesboro and to about 1,800 patients treated over 11 months last year at Augusta.
The VA has now sent letters advising 3,260 patients who had colonoscopies between May 2004 and March 12 at the Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System that they also should get tests for HIV, hepatitis and other infectious diseases.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Veteran Gary Simpson, 57, of Spring City had a colonoscopy at the Murfreesboro clinic in 2007. He said his blood has tested negative for HIV and hepatitis, but he's still worried because a nurse told him some diseases don't show up for seven years.
In my lifetime, after witnessing a barrage of incompetence and malfeasance, I have never, not once, seen “heads roll”.
SO: What did the victims end up with? AIDS, hepatitus, or anal leprosy?
The rest of us will get VA quality care if “universal health care” is passed.
Precisely. Veteran Suicide rates 'hidden', ShredderGate (veteran's claims and documentation being shredded by the VARO's or Regional Offices), 'Interpretation' of the 1991 Agent Orange Act to exclude 'Brown Water' and 'Blue Water' Navy and 'Blue Sky' Air Force vets, the Traumatic Brain Injury Iraq/Iran vets classified 'pre-existing', the whole 'Walter Reed' scandal, and most recently the move to make vets use their own insurance to treat war wounds...
Well, some REMF's were relieved at Walter Reid. But that's just what I've thought of sitting here. It goes on and on and on...
Don't believe me? Check www.vawatchdog.org and just look and the most recent page.
What nobody's mentioned here yet is the so-called "Feres Doctrine", to wit:
"In the 1950 decision that has become known as the Feres Doctrine, the court concluded that active-duty members of the military are barred from filing claims for wrongful death or injury resulting from negligence, including malpractice in military health facilities.
Courts have cited as justification the need to maintain discipline and to protect the military from costly and protracted litigation. The ruling cites the availability of both military and veterans health benefits for current and former service members."
So, the veteran here in Miami who was quoted as saying he was 'going to hire a lawyer and sue' has a nasty surprise coming. True, you can petition the CVAC or the Federal Circuit Court for permission to sue the United States, but you can imagine how likely you are to have permission granted.
I'm always gratified by the number of poster's here who are 'outraged' at the treatment of veterans here on FR. Regrettably, that's pretty much as far as it goes, though. When you think about it, what more can Freepers do? Those wonderful freepers who spend their days at the gates of Walter Reed go the extra mile, but more needs to be done. If anyone has suggestions, at www.bluewaternavy.org or the VASVW · Veteran Sailors of the Vietnam War here at www.groups.yahoo.com/group/vasvw/ would love to hear from you.
—ExIntrepid
Ewwwwwwwwww. Government run anything is subject to lazy and ignorant practices with no recourse for the consumer.
“Uh... This goes in your mouth. This one goes in your ear. And this one goes in your butt. (Joe puts wires in, machine beeps) S—t. Hang on a second. This one... Uh... This one... this one goes in your mouth.”
Nurse, Idiocracy.
Damn. And such things are so easily prevented from happening.
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