Malpractice

I read a fair amount on manga. One of the ones I read regularly is called Team Medical Dragon. In one of the most recent scanlations (scanned translations done by amateurs) the question of medical malpractice came up.

A doctor left a needle in the heart of a patient. This could result in a blood clot which in turn could result in a stroke. At first, when the doctor who operated realizes, he asks a colleague to help him go back in and remove the needle. They operate, but can’t find it. At the suggestion of the colleague and approval of the head administrator they cover it up, hiding it from the patient until such a time as they deem it appropriate to make another attempt to remove the needle.

Our hero, a hot shot doctor, hears of it and operates immediately, removing the needle quickly and efficiently. In the process he forces the original doctor to admit his mistake, which results in the doctor losing his license and the hospital facing a malpractice suit.

The thing is, the original doctor is a good man doing his best. He is the kind who listens to his patients, and tries his best fro them. He made a simple mistake. When we find out he had only ever done 20 surgeries before, it isn’t surprising he should have done so. It is the cover up that is bad, not the doctor.

Can you imagine being the patient? If you found out your doctor had taken such risks, would you stick with him? Even if there had been no cover up, would you feel secure in his care? We are all human, but how much of what kind of mistake can we live with in a doctor?