NY Times: Nurses on Trial in Texas

. Sunday, February 7

sheriff

Meet Sheriff Robert L. Roberts Jr., the law in a little town called Kermit, Texas, population 5,600. It wasn’t too long ago that the Sheriff had a heart attack, and was one of the lucky ones to be attended to by Dr. Rolando G. Arafiles Jr. at a local rural hospital on one of the doctor’s “good” days. Against the odds, the Sheriff lived under this particular doctor’s care and he now calls him “the most caring man alive.” You see, this doctor has collected a list of complaints throughout his career a mile long, and for this small town, he’s the only doctor willing to set up shop there.

Three nurses decided to do what they are required to do, and that is report Dr. Arafiles’ medical gaffes. Over and over, reports were made and the doctor reprimanded for continual prescription and surgical infractions on top of a restriction on his license. So, the good doc told his friend the Sheriff that he was being harassed, and now the nurses are on trial, charged with “misuse of official information.”

The case is so over-the-top that a reporter and photographer from the NY Times were sent down to investigate the story, and the facts fall together like a badly written soap opera.

My advice: Stay away from Kermit, Texas if you’re feeling lowly.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Interesting read Theresa. My mother was a nurse for over 30 yrs. and did her job ethically. I applaud the nurses and hope they have a positive outcome. Makes you wonder how it could be anything but, but..... Thanks for sharing.
Lee

Anonymous said...

The woman is not even a real nurse, she is an admin nurse, those who type and checks medicare eligibility.

The rubber suture was a temporary fix. THe doctor is US licensed, had previously practiced in other US hospitals, FOR YEARS.

People are calling him now a quack because of the ramblings of a typist nurse who writes ghost letters so someone who worked all his life be deduced to a 'quack'.

She wants someone to lose his license, something the guy worked for all his life. Now that she was outed, she is now playing hero - claiming she just wants to save the world.

How can you be a hero if you are out to destroy someone's reputation and livelihood?

The guy has saved lots of lives, hasnt lost one. Yet the woman is out to destroy him. Now is that heroism to you?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous is an idiot! The doctor was permenantly revoked in New York state and only had a conditional license in Texas, check his mistakes in Victoria, Texas. He also did NOT have surgical privledges at any hospital and couldn't even run a weight loss clinic. Maybe anonymous's real initials are RA or RR.