Patient’s family accuses CHCSJ of malpractice

The family of a patient hospitalized in the Public Hospital (CHCSJ) due to a severe head trauma, the result of a work accident, has accused the hospital of providing inadequate treatment.

The dispute started when the daughter of the patient used social network platforms to state that her father did not receive appropriate treatments for cerebral hemorrhage, also accusing the hospital staff of being irresponsible and unprofessional by rushing to transfer the patient to a rehabilitation center while he was still in a coma and suffering from a condition called hydrocephaly (an abnormal concentration of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the brain that leads often to an increase in cephalic pressure and can cause brain damages).

In a press conference held late last week, the hospital denied all the accusations of the family, explaining all the medical procedures performed and claiming that they were conducted in a correct and appropriate manner.

The CHCSJ also noted that the family’s claims were based on medical advice given by a Hong Kong physician, which the hospital classified as “poor advice.”

Hospital authorities also explained that the patient had been diagnosed with brain herniation and that the hydrocephaly condition was related to the occurrence of an infection after successful surgery that removed a blood clot.

In order to treat the condition (hydrocephaly), the physicians placed a tube to drain the fluid buildup and equalize the brain’s pressure.

Such a procedure is one of the bases of the family’s claims since a doctor from Hong Kong removed the drain tube saying that the procedure had been done incorrectly.

A physician’s team from Kiang Wu Hospital then reinserted the tube. Neurosurgeon Tai Wa Hou explained during the conference that his team had been patching up mistakes made by the Hong Kong physician. He remarked that the condition from which the patient was suffering normally causes death or permanent disability in 90 percent of cases.

Tam opens evaluation committee facilities

The secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, inaugurated the new facilities that will hold the Evaluation Committee of Medical Malpractice, earlier this week, as the law went into force. Tam wished the committee members good performance in their duties, reminding them of the importance of respect for the principles of fairness and impartiality.