Ripping off the Health Care System!

Headline:  Hospital to pay $1.700,000 over Tuberculosis Class Action.

Here's the story:

              More than four hundred people tested positive  for tuberculosis after a presumptive contact with two patients who  were proven to have tuberculosis a decade ago.  Note that none of these patients had the active disease.  Note that the positive test only means that the patient was in  contact with tuberculosis and developed antibodies against the disease, which  protects them  from developing the active disease.  The case was based on the fact that because these people tested positive for latent tuberculosis (not the active disease), a decade ago, that the hospital  is responsible.  In fact, nobody can  be certain that those people became positive as a result of infection  in  the  hospital.  I cannot imagine any  other arena in which this sort of evidence would be regarded as reliable.  The basis of the legal case is that the hospital and the doctors should have diagnosed the two cases that occurred in the hospital ten years before, earlier.  In  fact, nobody can be sure that those people became positive as a result of infection that occurred in  the hospital at all.   The allegation that the doctors and the hospital were in any way responsible is totally without merit and in  fact is a prejudiced viewpoint.  It is important to emphasize that none of these patients developed active TB, they just developed immunity to it.   

              When I grew up  and  studied medicine in  Ireland, most of the population was Tuberculin positive,  and regarded as being fortunate to  develop resistance to active tuberculosis and be protected against it.

                Unfortunately, the Judge did not seem to be knowledgeable enough to comprehend the claim of what I can only regard as the avaricious lawyers and non diseased patients, who instigated this class action law suit.

                They are creating a situation  in Canada that approximates to the "medical malpractice lottery" that exists in  the United States and does inestimable damage to the Health Care System   It will encourage any patient presenting with any infectious disease who has been  in hospital in the past decade to inappropriately sue the health care system,  in hope of a windfall.  Such  settlements will leach precious health care dollars out of  the health care system into the pockets of these profiteers and their lawyers (approx 1/3 of the settlements!)  They will be paid for by you and me.

                Please comment if you have any view on this.