Vegas clinic may have sickened thousands

[meegbear]

Nearly 40,000 people learned this week that a trip to the doctor may have made them sick.

In a type of scandal more often associated with Third World countries, a Las Vegas clinic was found to be reusing syringes and vials of medication for nearly four years. The shoddy practices may have led to an outbreak of the potentially fatal hepatitis C virus and exposed patients to HIV, too.

The discovery led to the biggest public health notification operation in U.S. history, brought demands for investigations and caused scores of lawyers to seek out patients at risk for infections.

Thousands of patients are being urged to be tested for the viruses. Six acute cases of hepatitis C have been confirmed. The surgical center and five affiliated clinics have been closed.

<snip>

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080305/ap_on_re_us/hepatitis_exposure

[formercia]

1. I bet the vast majority are poor

I wonder who they billed it to...

[Fresh_Start]

2. The clinic employees, managers and owners should get jail time

this is outrageous abuse

[AlCzervik]

3. needles are pretty cheap so WTF are they doing reusing them?

[Ordr]

4. Set a precedent.

We have to execute those who knowingly did this to the victims. There is no fucking way that anything less than a death sentence is fit for these monsters. If they indeed caused thousands of people to be infected with HIV, a death-sentence itself, due to gross negligence, then they deserve to pay the same price.

Edit: added a comma

[aquart]

6. Criminally negligent homicide. Depraved indifference to human life.

Would either of those charges fit?

[Ordr]

7. Probably.

But you have to add something about profiting, too. That sets up a case for premeditation.

Edit: I am a grammatically-incorrect ass.

[Cerridwen]

5. The doctor's name is Dr. Dipak Desai and he was sued in 2002 for

misdiagnosing a patient resulting in the patient having unnecessary surgery. Yet, he was

The clinic's majority owner, Dipak Desai, a political contributor and member of the governor's commission on health care, has refused to comment on the allegations. (emphasis added) (from the article in the OP)

and still "practicing" medicine and held a position on the governor's commission on health care.

The governor of Nevada is...you guessed it, Jim Gibbons - a republican.

edit to add link

edit to add more about the 2002 lawsuit

[fasttense]

8. The wonders of the "free market" just never cease. n/t