Doctor's Office Inflicts Hepatitis B On Patients

Since 1980, Dr. Parvez Dara has been seeing patients at his Tom Rivers office in New Jersey. His practice was closed due to unsanitary medical conditions found in March 2009, and now 29 of his patients have tested positive for Hepatitis B. Health inspectors sited conditions as unsanitary and said they found blood on the floor of a room where chemotherapy was administered, blood in a bin where blood vials were stored, unsterile saline and gauze, and open medication vials. Other violations included cross-contamination of pens, refrigerators and countertops and the use of contaminated gloves, among other health code violations.

Dr. Dara’s office has been sending out letters since March, asking patients at risk to be tested for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and AIDS. There are a total of 2800 patients who should be tested with 1400 patients already in compliance. There are 68 people who have tested positive for antibodies, but it is unclear of their connection to Dr. Dara’s office. The August 12th letter to patients indicated that, "Evidence gathered at this time suggests that since 2002, some clinic staff provided care in a manner that put patients at risk for infection caused by bloodborne viruses, including hepatitis B. The investigation to date suggests that the hepatitis B infections identified may be associated with the method by which medications were administered and procedures performed at the practice."

All patients should be vigilant when visiting the doctor’s office and take note of anything on the floor or that looks out of place. Dr. Dara, originally from Pakistan, has been a licensed oncologist in New Jersey and he estimated that he saw 45 to 60 patients a day. Approximately a dozen of those patients were receiving chemotherapy each day. Unfortunately, Americans are at the mercy of their physicians and how they decide to conduct their practices. With so many foreign doctors in our country who have different standards of care, patients need to be more vigilant than ever to avoid something like this from happening to them.