The primary function of medical doctors is to save the lives of their patients. This is why medical students spend seven years in school studying medicine, surgery, anatomy and other relevant courses. Medical doctors also take post-graduation courses to ensure they are familiar with current trends in medical practice. With all these measures in place, it is expected that doctors will always carry out their duties effectively. However, doctors are not perfect. Sometimes, even the most well-trained and competent surgeons make mistakes. These mistakes might constitute grounds for a medical malpractice suit. Below are some cases that may lead to a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Surgery Based on Wrong Diagnosis
Many large medical facilities are understaffed and the surgeons in these places are overworked. With few doctors handling many cases, mistakes are bound to happen. For instance, a surgeon might operate on a patient due to an improper diagnosis by the primary healthcare practitioner. This is a very expensive mistake so the victim of this mistake has excellent grounds to sue the doctor as well as the hospital involved.
Criminal Negligence
When you hear the expression, “lawyers needed after bad surgery” it means the surgeon involved is likely to get into serious trouble. For instance, you had chronic pain on the lower right abdomen for months. You consulted your doctor and this expert diagnosed appendicitis and referred you to a surgeon. The surgery was carried out successfully and you were discharged by the surgeon. However, the pain you complained about got even worse after the surgery. You consulted a second doctor and this expert discovered that the surgeon had “forgotten” a bit of cotton wool in your abdomen. There are grounds for criminal negligence here and you should instruct your attorney to sue the surgeon immediately.
Operating on the Wrong Patient
This is another classic sign of a bad surgery. You were admitted to a medical facility and you are due for surgery. Another patient was admitted for a different medical condition and placed in the bed next to yours. The surgeon walks in and carries out the operation meant for the other patient on you. You wake after surgery to discover that the surgical operation meant for another patient had been carried out on you. In this situation, there is only one thing to do. Talk to your lawyer and institute legal proceedings against the doctor and the medical facility immediately.
Final Word
Doctors are supposed to be careful and diligent professionals. When they make expensive mistakes like the ones above, somebody must be made to pay.