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Medical Negligence

Although we have been hearing a lot of news recently about medical negligence, the news I read today morning made me pen down something related to this topic. Having experienced a not-so-fatal medical negligence myself(Click here to read -> Swine Flu Vaccine Goof up), I have a good hold on this topic.
And yes, Bangalore has some of the horrendous and most lethargic medical staffs(of course, not all) in India.
The Incident:
Yesterday, a 25-year-old woman died after being transfused wrong blood group in KC General Hospital, Bangalore. Her blood group was 'O' positive, but she was given 'B' positive instead, causing fatal complications, ultimately resulting in her death. Yes, it is not a mistake made by the Doctor nor the Manager of the Hospital, but because of their lethargic staffs/nurses. But do you think the doctor and the Manager will be spared? Nope. I'm sure the hospital will be sealed in no time. But can we get back the life? Ultimately who is getting affected because of such negligence, common man(as always, we are the doomed species). My heart goes out to that family!

Now, the hypothetical question:
In the above incident, at least the blood bottle had the correct sticker on, it was a human error to have ignored the sticker. But imagine a hypothetical situation, where you get a bottle with a sticker which says blood group 'AB-' but the bottle contains 'B+' group blood? The very thought sends a shiver down my spine. In this case, nobody can save us -  but there are several measures that we can take to avoid many other situations, in specific to medical negligence.

How to avoid such negligence:
  • Being proactive and informed about medical care is the best and the only way forward. 
  • We(Patients) should do research to understand our health condition, there are lots of sources available online - Yes, some of them are fake or not-so-correct but at least do some reading to understand the options available. Yes, we all consider Doctors as God! Hey, I do that too - because they are in a very responsible and life saving profession. And they deserve being compared to the Creator! Nothing wrong with that, but human beings in different professions are no less of a value, so take care and be cautious!
  • Never get intimidated by the medical system and the jargons they use. Speak up and advocate for your own well-being. If the word coming out of your Doctor's mouth makes no sense to you, stop him/her to elaborate what is being spoken about. 
  • If patients sense that something is wrong, they should tell or ask or reason their health care providers. It is the right of the patient.
  • Go for a second opinion, if you can afford. 
  • It is very important to trust the doctor or staff - but at the same time, it is more important to listen to your gut feeling and common sense.  End of the day - "To err is human!"
  • Have a family member or a friend or that somebody who gives a damn about you to accompany you on important visits to hospitals. Of course they are not going to help you in any way or take away your pain, but the very thought of having a support system nearby makes a huge difference. I have experienced this myself, and here it is:
The wisdom tooth saga:
I went to a nearby hospital chain to get one of my wisdom teeth extracted(Hey Creator! We humans do not need wisdom teeth/tooth at all, then why give us one(actually 4)?? Hmm...you know human beings once had tail....because there was no usage, they are gone!)
Anyways, I being my confident self, asked hell lot of questions to the Orthodontist and the final question of mine was - "Do I need to bring anybody else along with me for help?" She said, you don't look like you need help!! Aha, sometimes Doctors boost your confidence level crazily before the procedure that, you will fall for their word :-). And with full smile, I booked an appointment the next day. I went alone, having eaten good amount of food(You see, you cannot eat solid food for 2 days after extraction).

It was a tad complicated extraction, due to the positioning of the teeth, so the doctor used more or less all her instruments and also did a couple of 360 degree manoeuvres to get the thing out and it was all done in 15 minutes. She asked me if i'm feeling giddy, I said no.
So I got my prescription from her and walked to the Pharmaceutical located inside the hospital lobby and stood in the long line to the counter, and there I go - I have no freaking idea, I'm falling down with no control(Yes, as sensed by the doc, I'm feeling giddy - just that, after 5 mins from the time she asked me), the Gentleman aback of me caught me before I went straight to the floor. He escorted me to the nearby chair and there I was 80% giddy and remaining 20% trying to make sense. Everything was alright after 10 minutes of sitting idle, but the point is - please take somebody along with you, if you have to do a medical procedure. Your confidence cannot stop or prevent giddiness, you see! I learned a lesson, right there!

Image courtesy:  Google

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