According to a statement from the VA, dental equipment at the hospital in was sterilized -- but it was “not sterilized to the exact specifications of the manufacturers guidelines.”
Rep. Carnahan found this to be “absolutely unacceptable, no veteran who has served and risked their life for this great nation should have to worry about their personal safety when receiving much needed health care services from a Veterans Administration hospital.”
Rep. Sam Johnson, from Texas, a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars, called the medical errors “unacceptable, offensive and objectionable. As a nation we vow to protect those who protect us,“ calling for a full congressional investigation to get to the bottom of this.
This is not the first time a VA hospital has come under fire for medical negligence. In November 2009, a VA hospital in Illinois were forced to suspend major surgeries due to a spike in patient deaths. This hospital had been under scrutiny since 2007 when a former surgeon resigned three days after a patient bled to death following a gall bladder surgery. In August 2009, six cancer patients were given incorrect radiation doses at the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia, bringing the total to 98 veterans who were given the wrong treatment over a six year period
While on the subject of incompetence, let’s go back to a story by Bill Theobald of Gannett Washington Bureau printed in the USA Today in June 2009, that revealed that an endoscope normally used for checking areas such as the colon, nose and throat was not maintained properly, exposing veterans to the fluids of other patients. More than 10,000 veterans were re-examined and forty-seven were found to be infected with hepatitis, and six were found to be carrying HIV.
Hold on there is more. In Miami, a tube that was supposed to be cleaned after each colonoscopy was instead cleaned at the end of each DAY between May 2004 and March 2009.
These horror stories have been going on for years and they continue to occur because presidents appoint those retired four-stars who know absolutely nothing about the medical needs of veterans. The only reason I see that this continues unchecked, especially on President Obama’s watch, is that he could not care less. Veterans and active-duty persons did not support him during his election and are not supporting him now -- it’s payback time ! GOD bless our veterans.
Let’s try this for beginners. When we are interviewing candidates to replace Obama in 2012, they must PROMISE that all of Congress WILL be treated for medical problems at a Veterans Administration Hospital. This includes the new President.
Reach Lincoln Savoie at linkvfwla@aol.com.
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