Patient Sues N.J. Oncologist Over Hepatitis Infection
A patient sued a New Jersey oncologist who health officials suspect was responsible for a hepatitis B outbreak this year. According to this article by the Associated Press on Philly.com, one man from Manchester, NJ said he contracted the disease after being treated for prostate cancer at the office of suspected doctor this year and last year.
The affected man sued the doctor for medical malpractice in a state court in Ocean County, NJ in July. His attorney said that the man was tested before the doctor treated him and was not infected with the virus.
The state warned nearly 3,000 of the suspected doctor’s patients in March to get tested after five cancer patients tested positive for hepatitis B, which is transmitted through exposure to infected blood and can cause serious liver damage.
According to the article, the state Health Department refused to say how many more patients tested positive after the warnings were issued.
The oncologist’s medical license was suspended in April because of conditions at his Toms River office. There was blood on the floor of a room where chemotherapy was administered, blood in a bin where blood vials were stored, open medication vials, and unsterile saline and gauze.
His office also had problems with cross-contamination of pens, refrigerators, and countertops; use of contaminated gloves; and misuse of antiseptics, among other health-code violations. Records show that he has health code violations dating to 2002 and has paid nearly $56,000 in fines for infection-control health-code violations.
When a patient has been treated with substandard care by a doctor or healthcare provider and has suffered an injury or disability as a result, the patient has been the victim of medical malpractice. Misdiagnosis, failure to diagnose, surgical errors, prescription drug errors, birth injuries, failure to treat diseases, delay in treatment, and negligence are just a few examples of medical malpractice. People of all ages are at risk for medical malpractice, including children, adults, and the elderly.
Medical malpractice is a distressing situation, and the Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyers at Cherry, Fieger, and Marciano, LLP, will make the process as simple as possible for you. If you or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice in Pennsylvania, please contact Cherry, Fieger, and Marciano, LLP today for a free consultation with a Philadelphia PA medical malpractice attorney.
