Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Topical treatment

Vasu Iyengar has been in the news recently for failing to diagnose a complication after surgery in time to stop it killing Moina Simcock. Vasu is busy hitting back, she is quoted on www.stuff.co.nz from a letter to the Health and Disability Commissioner: "I apologised to the Simcock family several times and did my very best to pay retribution ... It was not enough for any of you". Then as more complaints come to light Vasu is quoted saying to the Dominion Post: "patients will say these things to get publicity in the wake of what I have endured."

I find it offensive that she appears to think that apologies and a payment might be "enough" and that she is undermining all her patients' credibility. (Although I do realise that these quotes may have been deliberately selected to make her look bad.)

Vasu Iyengar was my gynaecologist until she:
a) diagnosed an incurable condition missing that I actually had eczema (optional gynaecological detail),
b) referred me to the person who specialises in that condition in Wellington without telling me that the person's role was as a counsellor,
c) wanted to treat my PCOS following a recipe that ignored my particular symptoms.
Thanks to Vasu I endured months of unnecessary discomfort. I would not recommend her to anyone.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

She was my Gynaecologist and she was superb. Yours is a lopsided view sorry. many women adore her.
Puffin major

RUTH said...

I am glad that there are many women who have had positive experiences with Vasu Iyengar. Sadly it does not change the reality of what I experienced.

Anonymous said...

I quite liked Vasu when I met her.

The only problem is that she was wrong about what was wrong with me and very confidently said the only solution was a surgical procedure I didn't really want.

Fortunately the non-gynae specialist who'd referred me for a second opinion altered my medication by one half pill a day while we were waiting for the procedure and the whole problem went away.

I think that if I was _sure_ I needed a surgical procedure (which would be predicated on it being recommended by someone other than her) she might be a good choice for me, as I liked the way she explained things.

But, as my doctor said at the time, "she's a surgeon" :)

Karen said...

all this is making me very worried about having to go to a gynaecologist in september!