Backlash against Muslim physicians?

Some disturbing talk in the blogosphere about a case in Chicago of a Muslim physician delaying treatment to a Jewish patient. Some dangerous racist overtones at play here.

Comments

Matt M
The source for this story, Debbie Schlussel, has less than zero credibility, as far as I am concerned. She has made a number of outrageous and defamitory statements over the years, many of them aimed at Muslims.
I expect that the facts are quite different from what is presented here.
Anonymous
True, the ‘facts’ as presented in a most inflammatory manner by one side with a significant agenda (beyond the money) are to be believed only by the most credulous.
But even if true, where was the ER staff? The ER physician and staff have an obligation to the patient; this obligation is not discharged merely by making a consult. Should the consultant fail to act appropriatly or in a timely manner, then the patient is still under the care of the ER doc. This doc has the responsibility to seek other consultants, or arrange for a transfer to a facility that can provide the necessary care.
The plaintiffs focus is suspiciously too narrow.
scalpel
The chart shows that the patient was an 85 year old trainwreck with newly diagnosed stage 3 lung cancer, atrial fibrillation on coumadin, severe hyperglycemia, and sepsis (among other problems).
He wasn’t ever an ER patient, he was admitted from the office….he was already under the care of several specialists and died as 85 year old trainwrecks tend to do.
The “story” is a heaping pile of crap. The family blaming the Muslim physician is the racist part of this story, imo.
Daybrother
I’ve known and worked with many Muslim Physicians who hold anti-Jewish/racist views and even make radical and somewhat militant noises; All indefensible in my view. What I haven’t seen, however, is any of them ignoring an acute abdomen or deliberately mistreating any patient. I think there is more to this story or a least, I am sceptical. I also have to agree that ER staff responsibility never ends with a consult to Surgery or Medicine. If a pt in your ER is being neglected, you get on the phone and you get someone down there who will act. Pronto.
scalpel
This wasn’t ever an ER patient. It was a direct admit from the PCP office to the Oncology floor, electively for PEG placement. The medical records are here.
Malpractice? Possibly, but even early identification of the problem wouldn’t likely have changed the outcome. Suboptimal cross-coverage by a Medicine intern? Certainly. Murder? No.
This is just another case where an unexpected death causes the family to want to cast blame. They were still dealing with the recent diagnosis of cancer, the patient developed a complication of an invasive procedure and got admitted, then all of a sudden the condition worsens and he dies suddenly.
Instant lawsuit.
jb
I’m with scalpel on this one. If you read the “annotated” discharge summary, the annotations read as though they were written by someone who hangs around a doctors’ lounge and learns some vocabulary, then looks up the words in a dictionary to learn what they are saying, and therefore thinks he is a physician.
Bookworm
I just want to clarify, because your link to my post seems to imply otherwise, that I’m not the one making the “dangerous racial overtones.” I am, instead, questioning others who are accusing someone, not on racial grounds, but on religious grounds.
As it is, the case sounds like gross malpractice — if the strange allegations are true — but the charge of intentionally anti-Semitic malpractice is quite a stretch, since it would mean there was a vast conspiracy implicating a lot of Jewish practitioners.
ben
Have read the un-annotated parts of the “novel” Who Killed JA?
1. believe that the annotation was by the author, son of the deceased JA, who happens to be an MD/JD; he wasn’t just hanging around the doctors’ lounge.
2. the autopsy results are interesting
3. #2 should answer the question as to the cause of death: the guy is 85 with co-morbidities, topped by invasive lung CA; he died because of these – nobody ‘killed’ him; its amazing how this doctor- son is looking for someone else to blame! his dad is 85, beyond average American male life expectancy, has comorbidities…
4. he did not develop “sudden diabetes”, he received steroids
5. how many surgeons would explore-lap an ileus, especially at this pts’ condition?
6. it was time for JA to go…what is this MD/JD thinking… finally, a chance at using his JD education [he admits not practicing law, that he is seeking help thru the novel/blog]; perhaps, he could start practicing real MD too, and get to his senses…
7. only in America…blame / point a finger to everyone else despite 4 pointing back to self!
Anonymous
After reading as much of those two websites as i could tolerate, this whole episode seems more anti-islam (is that a word) than anti-semite. I am married to a jewish woman so I can say this, but calling someone an anti-semite because you or someone you love had a bad outcome is stupid.
Grow up. And to the crazy woman who put this on her blog, I would offer the same advice.
b
Happyman
This unfortunate elderly man appeared to have greatly outlived his life expectancy given his diagnoses.
I read the un-annotated discharge summary, and sounds like a typical multi-organ failure after sepsis of unclear etiology (pneumonia vs. gi source). There are two travesties in this case:
1- unrealistic expectations of son (apparently doesn’t know law OR medicine), given multiple strikes against patient (age, cancer, chronic anticoagulation), so that patient was not DNR and probably suffered a horrible & un-natural death; and
2- trying to blame this on anti-semitism. I am an atheist, and have worked with countless muslim doctors during residency & afterwards, and have always found them to be about the MOST ethical & caring individuals alive. I found they are particularly empathetic towards their patients, and have a truly humanitarian nature & love for teaching medicine as well.
If I were these doctors, I’d sue the son & this schlussel witch for slander even if it cost my last dime (perhaps even a class-action by many muslim doctors, since she is clearly generalizing & has power of voice).
Scalpel is dead-on-balls accurate. The racism here is clear.

Backlash against Muslim physicians?

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