Cheating in the name of Medical Reports

Deccan Chronicle : 06/09/2009

"WE LOST VALUABLE TIME DUE TO A FALSE MEDICAL REPORT"

Diagnostic centres in the city are often doling out false test reports sending patients into panic mode. Human error in the medical field has ical field has always been a matter of concern, but for all those who thought tests don't lie -- here's news. Forget second opinions on a diagno sis, it pays to take your medical tests more than once too.

A number of Hyderabadis have become victim to the verdicts of false medical reports that afflicted them with maladies they didn't suffer from! Who would've thought that a 21-year-old girl can suffer from osteoporosis. But that's exactly what dental student Zahra Punjani's reports diagnosed her with. "I got a couple of tests done at Vijaya Diagnostic Centre, Himayathnagar. It included an X-ray of my left knee. The reports read -Osteoporosis in "both" knees, when an X-ray of only one knee was taken. When I raised this doubt with the person who handed over the X-ray report to me, he dismissed it off as a `typing error'! Moreover, Osteoarthritis is a joint disease, which is common after the age of 40. Baffled, I walked out of there. My whole family was heartbroken. But when we decided to consult another doctor, I was told that the report was indeed false."
Furious, Zahra headed back to Vijaya Diagnostics and spoke to the head of the radiology department, who after examining the X-ray, told her that she would be given the "correct report" if she returned the "false report" to them. "I spoke to the owner of the diagnostics Centre, Dr Surender Reddy, who told me that it was just a `difference in opinion between doctors' and that while one thought it was a case of osteoarthritis the other did not. But fact remains that it is a test and results were in black and white. We were put through a lot of trauma due to the wrong test results."
Vishan Das, manager of Vijaya Diagnostics, however, completely denies that such an incident took place. "Around 700-800 patients come to our diagnostic centre a single day and we get around 100 samples per day to test. No such case has been brought to our notice, as far as I know." Dr Surender Reddy was unavailable for comment. Not too long ago, a Hyderabadi settled in Bangalore was diagnosed with TB. Her son, P.Gopinath, says, "Six months after the TB medication began, a second round of tests were done in Hyderabad, which proved she actually had lung cancer. We lost a lot of valuable time due to the wrong diagnosis." While the medical fraternity wash their hands off such errors caused due to pure negligence, it is the patients who go through a traumatic experience. Coming to terms with her serious diagnosis was a horrible experience for D. Indiraa, a resident of Noida, who came to visit her parents in Hyderabad recently. "I was suffering from vomiting and headache and I decided to visit Maxivision, Begumpet, for a routine check up. When the reports came, I was told that I have optic atrophy, a condition due to which I could lose my sight eventually. I was shattered at the thought that I might go blind soon. Once in Delhi, I went for a second opinion and the doctor rubbished the frightful diagnosis given by my doctor. I was just recommended corrective glasses!" Dr Kasu Prasad, MD, Maxi Vision Eye Hospital, however, reveals that it is important to get a second test done after the initial diagnosis. "In this particular case, the doctor may have told the patient that she could be suffering from optical atrophy and that she may lose her vision if not treated. Patients are always asked to get a second opinion from a senior doctor before jumping to conclusions. When we give a certain diagnosis, our intention is to make sure our patient doesn't suffer and undergoes necessary treatment."