Many people volunteer to become organ donors in hopes of helping others. However, nobody ever imagines that by signing up for organ donorship, he or she might be put in harm’s way.
In California, a transplant surgeon by the name of Hootan Roozrokh was accused of ordering a high dosage of drugs for Ruben Navarro, 25, a man suffering from a nerve disorder. It is alleged that this high dosage may have caused Navarro’s death.
Although the cause for Navarro’s death hasn’t been determined, Dr. Laura Lubarsky, a critical-care specialist, said Roozrokh made a poor decision in increasing Navarro’s dosage.
Lubarsky said she would not have ordered any more morphine or sedatives for Navarro if he were her patient. Other transplant physicians said Roozrokh should not have been allowed in Navarro’s room while he was still living.
With that being said, why was Roozrokh even there?
We trust doctors above most professions because they hold our lives in their hands. But Roozrokh made a poor call.
There were probably medical professionals present who were aware of Roozrokh’s actions, so why didn’t they speak up? Across the board, the negative results in this case could have been avoided.
This case may cause people to think twice about becoming organ donors. Noone wants to be rushed to death’s door.
We can only hope this case will be thoroughly investigated and justice will be served.
The future of America’s organ recipients depends on it.
Christine Thomasos for the Editorial Board.