MANCHESTER, N.H.—Eight years after a botched surgery left a Manchester man dead, both the patient's widow and the surgeon involved are speaking out against the New Hampshire Board of Medicine.
Dr. John Wolf, a plastic surgeon, died in May 2000 after undergoing gallbladder surgery performed by Dr. Frank Warren. Linda Wolf says it took almost six years for her complaint against Warren to make its way through the board. Warren eventually settled a lawsuit filed by Wolf and another suit from a teenage girl who died and surrendered his license to practice medicine.
"In my opinion, (the board) didn't do a good job. I think they were more interested in protecting their licensees than their patients," said Wolf. "I was met by this wall of silence. I couldn't get information."
On Tuesday, Wolf will attend a legislative hearing aimed at improving the board, which was severely criticized in a recent audit outlining problems in the board's ethics, money management, openness and processing of complaints. Among other things, the audit found the board did not investigate all complaints against doctors.
"What is important is that people get a fair shake, that every case is viewed from a level playing field," said Wolf. "It's not about me. Nothing is going to bring my husband back. I want change."
But Warren says he didn't get a fair shake either from the board that ended his career. Warren said he never got to personally tell the board his side. He said he was forced to improvise during Wolf's surgery because the instrument he needed wasn't available.
"Dr. John Wolf was my best friend in medicine. Was a mistake made? Yes. I'm a human being," he said. "I still have nightmares."
Board chairman Kevin Costin said he could not discuss individual cases. He and administrator Penny Taylor disputed the audit's findings and said many of the criticisms could have been addressed if the Legislature provided more money for software and staff.
Rep. Anne-Marie Irwin, D-Peterborough, will lead the joint hearing Tuesday of the House Executive Departments and Administration Committee and the Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee. She said the public won't have a chance to speak Tuesday but will be able to do so at some of the half dozen hearings planned for the next few months.
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Information from: New Hampshire Union Leader, http://www.unionleader.com
