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Here is food for thought for those who wish for a National Health care system run by the United States Government. The Department of Veterans Affairs is a socialized health care modality that the Obama Administartion is concidering.
In this case, Tained Endoscopic equipment was not properly sterielized at 3 VA Medical Centers. To date 5 have Tested Positive for HIV and 11 Have tested positive for hepititus. Although 11,000 patients could have been subject to these dirty procedures, the VA, says that there is no way to prove that it was a Tanited medical equipment that caused these veterans to become positive. While it is true that there is no definitive way to identify if the patients received HIV or HEP from the equipment the VA has gone on a campaign to protect its interests. rather then the interest of its patients.
If this happened at a Provate medical facility, one could persue legal remadies due to negligents. The VA is protected from such law suits. This is what one has to look forward to in a Governemt Health Care system.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — A top doctor at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says former patients who tested positive for HIV or hepatitis will not be able to show they were infected by tainted equipment at VA medical centers. storyPhotos();
Five patients have tested positive for HIV and 33 have tested positive for hepatitis since the VA started notifying more than 11,000 people treated at three VA medical centers in Miami, Augusta, Ga., and Tennessee that they may have been exposed to infectious body fluids after using endoscopic equipment that wasn’t properly sterilized.
The blood tests are continuing. The agency has stressed that the positive results for the diseases may not have come from hospital mistakes.
The VA’s chief patient safety officer, Dr. Jim Bagian, said he doesn’t think anyone will ever know.
Source: chronicle.augusta.com
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