Re: The Daily News - August 4
Doctor was at fault, not Jackson
August 4, 2009
Well, we really did it this time. Doctors like to think of themselves as different from lawyers and Wall Street investment bankers as we never are motivated by greed.
But now, my California doctor cousins have broken new ground in this realm that leaves any attorney greed in the dust.
The recent revelation that Michael Jackson used the anesthetic Propofol to aid his sleep astounded me. I have used the drug in my practice since its introduction 20 years ago and never once did I think of using it to help someone get a good night sleep.
I guess the "doctor" working for Jackson who was getting paid $150,000 a month (or $5,000 per day!) thought he read that it was OK in the drug insert. (Maybe it was in the fine print.)
Anyway, I have now entertained the notion of uses for Propofol that would outnumber the apps on an I-Phone.
Is your wife or husband in a bad mood and yelling at you?
Just call and we'll "sleep em" with ole Propofol, maybe they'll wake up in a better mood ... or maybe not. At least they won't be yelling at you while they are asleep!
Maybe this could be included in Obama's national health plan.
I can see it now, SWAT teams of anesthesiologists and anesthetists patrolling the cities and country sides like super heroes in search of anyone with insomnia.
Americans are used to this idea of a drug or surgery for every little problem or ailment.
Well, we can't afford that any more and now Michael Jackson's early death has illustrated that this "Easy Button" can kill you.
But Michael had enough money to pay a "doctor" to fulfill this hare-brained idea of giving him an anesthetic to sleep at night, on top of all the narcotics and other stuff they were shooting into him.
Michael did have a problem, but those doctors involved were the criminals here, I believe.
I guess if they are kicked out of medicine, they could work in other areas where greed isn't as dangerous, like WorldCom or Enron.
It may be too late for us though.
The other night on C-Span I noticed that some our legislators discussing health care reform seem already to be on Propofol infusions.
Dr. Joe Campbell is chairman of anesthesiology and a chief medical officer at Forrest General Hospital. E-mail: joehand1@ bellsouth.net.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090804/OPINION01/908040320