We tend to believe everything doctors say because they have a certain power over us. And why should we doubt them? They’re the ones who went to medical school and spent years memorising illnesses we can’t even pronounce.
That’s why they can ask you to do things that most people can’t.
If someone on the street asks you to pull your pants down, you’d promptly slap their faces and run straight to the police station.
But if a doctor asks you to do so, you’d pull your pants down faster than an NUS student.
And if they happen to use a syringe on you that looks rather old and dusty, like maybe it’s been used before, you’d probably think Nah, they’re a doctor, they would know better than that, right?
Doctor Infects 900 Children With HIV After Reusing Old Syringe From Rubbish Bin
A doctor in Pakistan is accused of infecting over 900 children with HIV after he reused an old syringe he retrieved from his rubbish bin.
The incompetent paediatrician, Dr Muzaffar Ghanghro, is one of the cheapest doctors in the Pakistani city area, charging a mere 30 rupees (~S$0.25) per visit.
Too Poor to Buy a Needle
His low rates come at a cost, however.
One parent, Imtiaz Jalbani, whose six children were treated by the paediatrician, told The New York Times that Dr Ghanghro rummaged through his bin for an old needle to use on his son.
His son was later diagnosed with HIV.
When Mr Jalbani asked why he was reusing an old needle, the doctor explained that he was too poor to buy a new one.
Well, surely NO needle is better than a USED needle, doctor.
Four of Mr Jalbani’s children have since tested positive for the virus and the two youngest have died.
Reused Same Drip Too
Either this doctor skipped class way too often in medical school or he got his medical degree from realfakedegrees.com because he also reused the same drip on 50 children without changing the needle.
According to The New York Times, the Pakistani doctor was arrested and charged by the police with negligence, manslaughter and causing unintentional harm.
But he has not been convicted and insists that he is innocent and has never reused syringes.
Shockingly, Dr Ghanghro has recently renewed his medical certificate and now works as a general practitioner at a Government hospital, presumably while on bail.
One of Many
Dr Ghanghro’s negligence is not uncommon in impoverished areas in Pakistan like Ratodero. Visiting health workers have seen many other doctors reusing syringes and I.V. needles.
In addition, barbers sometimes use the same razors on several customers, and dentists work on patients’ teeth on sidewalks with unsterilized tools.
Health officials say that these unhygienic practices are prevalent across Pakistan and probably the leading cause of the country’s growing rates of HIV.
Be wary of doctors. Yes, they know a lot more than us when it comes to our health, but some of them are incompetent or negligent.
Be especially vigilant in hospitals, where doctors frantically jump from patient to patient and sometimes make errors in judgement as a result.
And if you see a doctor using an old needle from the bin, you should probably find a new doctor.
