A LEGAL ATTACK ON CARING

As stupid as most "malpractice" litigation

Doctors and nurses may not stay behind during another New Orleans hurricane in fear they could be the next targets of state prosecutors accusing three colleagues of murder during Katrina, medical professionals said on Monday. Many New Orleans residents feel Dr. Anna Pou and nurses Lori Budo and Cheri Landry are heroes who labored for days to treat patients after Katrina hit, after politicians and many police had fled the city. If the case goes to trial, residents said they doubted a local jury who witnessed Katrina's devastation would convict.

Pou, Budo and Landry are accused of administering a "lethal cocktail" of drugs to four patients at Memorial Medical Center, one of the best hospitals in the city, which became a flooded realm of misery after the storm. The alleged victims were judged incapable of being moved and killed as the hospital was being abandoned, state Attorney General Charles Foti said after arresting the three last week. New Orleans District Attorney Eddie Jordan plans to take the case to a grand jury, a spokeswoman has said.

When hurricanes approach New Orleans and other cities, many of the most seasoned physicians and emergency personnel volunteer to stay behind to help, even as others evacuate. For medical professionals, the accusations represent a new danger of hurricane duty some are unwilling to face. "I think it is going to change a lot of people's attitudes toward volunteering. It makes me hesitant," said Sheri Narcisse, 31, a nurse who has stayed through two hurricanes.

Murder charges could bring sentences of life in prison, but dangers also include difficulty with careers and civil suits. "The amount of volunteers is going to be drastically reduced if there is another hurricane because they are not going to take the chance," medical equipment salesman Ray Landry said, citing chats with doctors.

Louisiana State University, where Pou is an associate professor and which has a major medical complex, has fielded many similar complaints, spokesman Charles Zewe said. "We hadn't expected the doctors and nurses to say, 'Next time around, we may not be there,"' he said.

More here.




(And don't forget your ration of Wicked Thoughts for today)