The Ghost surgeons of Chennai
One of the hateful faces of medicine in Chennai is the presence of surgical ghosts or ghost surgeons. Ghost surgeons walk into the OR after you are put to sleep and finish the surgery and leave before you wake up. There is no relationship with the patient. As long as money pour in, they never care about what is done for the patient. One ghost surgeon operating on an inguinal hernia by laparoscopy never realised he was operating on a lady. Another famous kidney transplant surgeon, never saw the donor or the recipient and reviewed the images on the phone and decided on surgery. It is very tempting to appreciate the expertise of the individual. But I have always insisted that good surgical care is not just in doing a great operation but also in taking care of the patient. I seem to be a minority in this case.
Though a minority, I still want to stick to my values. I do not operate on patients whom I have not seen and evaluated especially when it comes to a complex surgery like organ transplantation. I was really surprised recently that there is a transplant surgeon who goes around in every hospital performing organ transplants and not signing even a single paper in the transplant consent sheet or case record. I am surprised that he never counselled the donor or the recipient before or after the operation and paid no attention to the medications given to the patient to control rejection and never cared to know any of the results. These ghost surgeons are responsible for transplant mishaps that we hear from time to time.
The difference between a soldier and a mercenary is the loyalty to the principles that one believes in.
Before you are put under the knife, please follow the rules that will help you avoid such shoddy care.
Though a minority, I still want to stick to my values. I do not operate on patients whom I have not seen and evaluated especially when it comes to a complex surgery like organ transplantation. I was really surprised recently that there is a transplant surgeon who goes around in every hospital performing organ transplants and not signing even a single paper in the transplant consent sheet or case record. I am surprised that he never counselled the donor or the recipient before or after the operation and paid no attention to the medications given to the patient to control rejection and never cared to know any of the results. These ghost surgeons are responsible for transplant mishaps that we hear from time to time.
The difference between a soldier and a mercenary is the loyalty to the principles that one believes in.
Before you are put under the knife, please follow the rules that will help you avoid such shoddy care.
- See the surgeon and discuss with him or her about the process of surgery and the complications and his availability in case of any trouble.
- Please get to know about who is going to do the surgery and the team that is going to be responsible for your care.
- There is nothing wrong in having another specialist operating on you in the presence of the primary surgeon, as long as you are introduced to the surgeon. It may not be possible for a specialist to be there for every issue that is associated with patient care, but he should be present for the key decisions of your health care and must be actively involved in the discussion.
Ghost surgeons prevent development and progress in the hospital as they have no loyalty to the system and the patients. It is a sad truth that it will stay for a long time.
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