Trump's
Doctor Accused Of 'Overmedicating' Patients In Malpractice Lawsuits
By Dr.Fourkan Ali
In
two settled malpractice lawsuits, Dr. Harold Bornstein was accused of grossly
overmedicating two patients who died in his care.
Donald Trump has publicly shared plenty of concerns about Hillary Clinton’s
health, but now the
Republican presidential candidate's own doctor is creating headlines for his
reported extreme lack of care towards several of his patients.
The Daily Beast reported this week that Trump’s gastroenterologist, Dr. Harold
Bornstein, has settled three malpractice lawsuits against him since 1992—and
that two of the lawsuits accused Dr. Bornstein of grossly overmedicating two patients who died in his care. However,
both of those cases were settled before going to trial and there was no finding
of liability against Bornstein.
Still, one of the families in these lawsuits insists that
Bornstein contributed to an untimely death. Kenneth Levin (who has since passed
away) claimed in his suit 17 years ago that the doctor “was negligent,
careless, and unskilled” in treating his wife, Janet Levin. He also alleged
that Bornstein did wrong in failing “to make a referral to a mental health
professional; in wrongfully prescribing tuinal, morphine, and valium,
particularly in light of the history of drinking; in improperly and negligently
seeing the patient without providing treatment; and in overmedicating the
decedent.”
Kenneth claimed that despite seeing Janet “several times a
week,” Bornstein did little more than provide Valium and Tuinal (a sedative)
“greatly in excess of appropriate dosages.” Janet was admitted to
the hospital for a drug overdose in 1997 and the following year, she
reportedly “suffered a fall” and died. The lawsuit accused Bornstein of
ignoring “the signs and symptoms of a habitual addiction which he created or
helped to create,” and failing to take responsibility for it.
“He prescribed for her medication disproportionate for her
physical weight and she ended up falling and dying,” said a family member to
The Daily
Beast. “I’m not saying it
is because of him, but he contributed to her death.” Intoxicated falls are
among the common symptoms of the drugs Bornstein prescribed to Janet, which
included barbiturates, opiates and tranquilizers.
The New York Daily News previously reported that Bornstein settled in
June 2006 for an undisclosed amount with the family of 57-year-old Vincent Pollifrone, who died under the doctor's care during
a colonoscopy in 2000. His wife, Lorraine, said in the lawsuit that he was
“improperly medicated” during the procedure.
Questions of Bornstein’s competency arose after he released a
statement touting Trump’s “extraordinary” physical strength and stamina, in
addition to declaring that the candidate would be “the healthiest
individual ever elected to the presidency.” Although Bornstein has since
admitted regretting his choice of words, medical professionals were quick to
slam him.
“It just isn’t done. It’s unprofessional, unethical, and
violates basic common sense,” said Arthur Caplan, founding director of the
Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center. “A gastroenterologist
should not be offering an assessment of Trump’s overall health.”
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