(U.S.) Hospital Halts Organ Program (Saudis $'s Override Waiting List)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-organ27sep27,0,6051160.story?coll=la-home-headlines

St. Vincent Medical Center, one of the largest organ transplantation centers in the state, has suspended its liver program after discovering that its doctors improperly arranged for a transplant to a Saudi national using an organ that should have gone to a much higher priority patient at another hospital, officials said.

Hospital staff members then falsified documents several times to cover up the alleged maneuver, pretending that the transplant was for a patient who was near the top of the regional waiting list, hospital President and Chief Executive Gus Valdespino confirmed Monday.

The transplant took place in September 2003 and was paid for by the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia. But Valdespino said the problem was discovered only this month when officials were responding to routine questions from auditors at the United Network for Organ Sharing, the nonprofit group that administers the national transplant system.

The patient who received the successful transplant was actually 52nd on the list, which covers much of Southern California and takes into account such factors as who is sickest and who has been waiting longest.

A patient at UCLA Medical Center was entitled to receive the organ and St. Vincent should have declined it, Valdespino said.

[CottonBear]

1. They don't have livers in Saudi Arabia? No hospitals? No organ doners?

That story makes me so angry. Our citizens should be the first in line to receive organs.

[Gato Moteado]

3. healthcare only for rich repubs and bush's saudi friends only....

the rest of the country can get sick and die.

[saigon68]

12. THE BUSH CRIMINALS STRIKE AGAIN

ONLY THEIR ALCOHOLIC SAUDI FRIENDS GET NEW LIVERS

LOL

[drduffy]

2. surely they've a slave

or two in Saudi Arabia who could be 'persuaded' to give up a liver....

what wonderful allies the saudi *** are

[CottonBear]

4. What about all those people they execute each month?

Surely, if they have an official policy of public executions they could harvest organs from the victims. :sarcasm:
I wouldn't put anything past the Saudi royals.

[Julius Civitatus]

5. Friends of Poppy get the best organs

Rules and waiting lines are for the little people. And Barbara Bush would say that, since all those people that were passed over for the transplant were already sick and didn't own oil fields and Arabia, they should shut up anyway and be grateful things are "working out so well" for them.

:argh:

[htuttle]

6. Hmm...any Saudis get kidneys?

Like 6+ foot tall bearded ones? Named 'bin Laden'?

Just curious.

[superconnected]

8. I was wondering the same thing.

It sounds like more than one person covered this up.

Must have been payouts involved. For the guy to have had much money to do that, he must have been someone.

[AX10]

7. $%*# Saudi Arabia.

:argh:

[Guaranteed]

9. I say get the liver back. nt

[superconnected]

10. It was paid for by the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia

This shouldn't be ignored.

We need to find out who the Saud is.

It doesn't sound right that they suddenly suspend all transplants for the 75 people on the list because of this - knowing it puts them in more danger medically because now they have to find other hospitals. Shutting it down so quickly and over one bad incident is very suspicious. Most work environments just correct the problem and move forward.


"The national organ network has said that no more than 5% of organs should go to foreign nationals, and indeed the actual percentage is much lower. However, data show that the liver transplant program at St. Vincent provided about 8% of its organs to foreign nationals. Overall, less than 5% of the hospital's organs go to citizens of other countries."
?

[northzax]

11. probably doesn't matter

who it is, since the government pays for medical care, including overseas care, for all citizens.

[superconnected]

13. but he was bumped up the list, and it was kept a secret.

Sounds like he really is someone.

[northzax]

14. or the hospital

wanted the fee and didn't follow procedures, which wouldn't be unheard of. transplants a big fee, and it's in cash, since it's the Saudis. Rich people get better care, we all know this. if you can write a check with a lot of zeros after it, and the Saudis can, you get better care than someone dependant on Blue Cross to negotiate pricing.

[andyarundel]

15. outstanding

As Hepatitis C is the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States and the Federal Government continues to ignore this silent epidemic that threatens the lives of 4 million Americans, this does not surprise me in the least. If it was someone who suffered from any number of ailments other than Hepatitis C, that a lifesaving liver was "re-routed", it would be a national scandel.