Unfortunately, many people suffer serious injuries during fairly common medical procedures. For example, consider the claims against a Big Island doctor who recently had his medical license revoked.
In mid-March a young woman was scheduled to have her wisdom teeth removed. Untold numbers of patients go through the same procedure every day. However, in this case, after the teeth were removed, the patient slipped into a coma. The mother of two turned 24 in April, and she is still in Hilo Medical Center. Her family has since sued the dentist for medical malpractice.
The Regulated Industries Complaints Office reports that 27 separate complaints have been brought against the same doctor. Six of these complaints dealt specifically with medical negligence or professional misconduct, and these were the ones recently addressed by the Hawaii Medical Board. The board voted overwhelmingly to revoke the doctor’s license.
The agreement between the board and the doctor means that the license revocation will be entered into a national database, and the doctor will likely find it impossible to become licensed in another state. The state Board of Dental Examiners has not yet weighed in on the doctor’s dental license.
On the Big Island, the doctor had three offices, all of which he voluntarily closed in April.
The negligence or willful misdeeds of a medical professional can result in debilitating injuries for patients. Those who believe they have been injured or who have lost a family member due to medical negligence should understand that legal recourse is available.
Source: KITV, “Embattled Big Island doctor has medical license revoked,” Andrew Pereira, May 8, 2014