| UPDATE: The hearing has just been rescheduled to Wednesday, July 22, at 10am. - - Rosi
For the second time, Rep. John Adler is turning the harsh light of investigation onto the workings of the Philadelphia VA Medical Center, the hospital many veterans in his constituency turn to for medical help. Tthe House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations meets tomorrow at 1pm. The hearing will be streamed live.
The subcommittee's first hearing focused its attention on Dr. Gary D. Kao, who admitted mistakes in dozens of botched prostate surgeries on veterans, but refuses to take responsibility for what Adler calls the medical mistreatment of almost 100 veterans.
Adler, a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, expressed astonishment that Kao was even allowed to keep his medical license. But Adler's also interested in tackling the apparent failings of the systems put in place to protect veterans. From his statement:
We do not yet have satisfactory answers about the lack of oversight that allowed our veterans to be treated so badly. We must get at the supervisory failures in the system, and hold those responsible for these errors accountable.
There are few more important things my tax dollars should pay for than top-quality medical care for the men and women who risk their lives in our service. I'm sure we all feel that way. And if the stories coming out of these hearings are correct - radiation where there was no cancer at all, 92 of 116 radiation treatments by Kao botched, radiation surgeries performed for nearly a year with equipment the hospital knew was broken - then the Philadelphia VA Medical Center's prostate cancer unit was a horror for those veterans who came seeking relief from a terrifying disease.
Expected at the hearing is a return by Dr. Kao, as well as representatives of Philadelphia VA Medical Center, the University of Pennsylvania, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Department of Veterans Affairs.
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