As a doctor at Windham Hospital, I am increasingly concerned about the shortage of specialists on call in our emergency department.
As our society has become more litigious, the cost of medial malpractice insurance has skyrocketed to the point that it is affecting the availability of care.
Today, in emergency departments across the state, neurologists, hand surgeons and other specialists are not available for on-call care in rural hospitals like Windham. Patients needing specialized care in many cases must be transported to another hospital.
A proposal now before the legislature, would address this issue, changing the standards for lawsuits, and making it easier for specialists to provide emergency care.
The good news for Windham is that our State Rep. Susan Johnson is an important member of the legislative committee now considering the bill. A similar proposal was approved by the Public Health Committee last year, but never came to a final vote.
It is our hope that Rep. Johnson will understand that Windham Hospital – the largest employer in her district – and indeed all of Connecticut’s hospitals can and should be in a position to provide the best possible care for patients. We all agree that patients have rights.
But one of those rights is to get care when and where you need it, especially in an emergency. Windham area residents are fortunate to have a great hospital to serve the region and a state representative in a position to support our work there and support House Bill 6393.
