The men and women who have served in our military must go to a Veterans Affairs facility in Georgia or elsewhere in order to obtain medical care. While many people receive adequate treatment, too many experience a negligent doctor and suffer the consequences. Recent reports detail just how devastating these mistakes can be.
In an effort to be transparent, the Veterans Affairs Department released more than 120 investigations in April that depict problems at VA facilities across the nation. In Georgia, a physician at the Malcolm Randall VA Medical Center faced accusations that he overprescribed psychotropic drugs to female patients. Some of those patients lost their jobs. This instance is one of several in which doctors have prescribed controlled substances, painkillers or psychiatric drugs at a higher rate than their peers.
Beyond this issue, the reports detail other problems in VA facilities. In one case in San Diego, a veteran sought emergency care at a VA hospital and was giving a prescription for an antacid. The next day, the man died at a civilian hospital as the result of a heart attack. In a case in Pennsylvania, a veteran’s face was set on fire during surgery that was supposed to remove skin cancer from his nose. The investigations also reveal that one VA hospital in Virginia had a system for monitoring patients that only worked on an intermittent basis.
The VA Assistant Inspector said that the department fields roughly 50,000 calls or tips regarding care every year. Lawmakers involved in the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees have pledged to take measures for additional oversight over these facilities. Anyone who has experienced medical malpractice should consult with an attorney.
Source: Military Times, “VA mismanagement, malpractice detailed in reports,” Patricia Kime, May 17, 2015
