The news that a Melville doctor used dirty needles on his patients led to a regional hepatitis and HIV scare, and no doubt caused locals to take a hard look at how their physicians handle injections.
But the state government has stepped in to help ease the population. State Health Commissioner Richard Daines announced measures that would speed up the process of investigating doctors.
For example, he said he will set up a task force and try to find ways to make it easier to access doctors’ records.
From the Associated Press story:
Daines said he has set up an internal team to make sure investigations move as quickly as possible and plans to appoint an expert group as advisers. He also hopes to boost the Health Department’s power to obtain doctors’ records.
Gov. Eliot Spitzer and others have blasted the agency for taking nearly three years to notify 600 patients of one Long Island anesthesiologist that they were at risk for hepatitis and the HIV virus.
Health officials say the doctor’s sloppy needle techniques infected at least one person with hepatitis. The doctor has said he has changed his technique.
These days there should be NO EXCUSE for a doctor using dirty or tainted needles. We have the knowledge and the technology of sterilization that situations like what happened with the Melville doctor shouldn’t be occuring.