Thomas 75
I had never denied you as a patient as you had accused me of.
I have REPEATEDLY asked where you had the surgery with me in 2004. And you did not clarify.
To all readers, for those who are interested in the truth, “Where the surgery is done” is a crucial question because of the following reasons.
- Do I have an organizational problem with the filing system?
- Why I chose to operate on someone with so much hair to begin with, why I planted 2-3 grafts in the frontal hairline.
- Why did I not follow up with this patient? No follow up the minute after the surgery.
- Was the patient on medication etc?
All these questions stem from where this surgery was done.
First of all, I have every single patient file of those who were treated at my clinic in Ottawa from 1995 with detailed notes and pictures of every single patient. I do have a very good record keeping system for all patients at my clinic.
As I have said, I had assisted a friend and a colleague to do his surgery for him for a period of 4 months in 2004. The nature of this arrangement was a temporary one for him. The agreement was as follows;
- All patients were patients of their clinic.
- All patient charts belonged to their clinic.
- All other services were provided by their clinic.
- All patients were screened, consulted by a member of their clinic.
- All financial transactions were done by a member of their clinic
- All technical/administrative support was given by their clinic.
- All follow up care was to be given by the members of their clinic.
My assistance only involved the surgical aspect. I did see the “already booked and prepared patient” one hour before surgery to introduce my self and ask if there were further questions pertaining to the surgery. I reviewed the plan of action (which was pre-determined during his consult/booking with members of the clinic previously) with the patient and completed the consent form for me to do the surgery.
The surgical involvement is taking the strip and preparing the recipient site. I stayed in the clinic for the patient in case of emergency or medication control until the case was done. The clinic staff did all immediate post operative care of the patient because they have their own protocol.
One may ask why was I so trusting and agreed to do so? Back then, I agreed because I wanted to help. I respected that this was a temporary measure. The clinic where I worked appeared to be a respectable clinic. Patients went there with an expectation for the expertise/results/care produced from that clinic.
Now, you can understand why I do not have any of the patient’s charts from that clinic where I worked. You can always appreciate that giving me a name without the chart information does not really help when you only see the patient one-hour before the surgery.
It is always easier for me to recall patients from my own clinic because I spend hours of consultation and discussions, setting a care plan with my patients. I am the only surgeon who does the surgeries. I provide intra-operative care, I check my technical team for graft preparation and implanting, and I do my own postoperative instruction. I follow up with them on a daily basis until they return home (for those out of town patients); for local patients, I see my patients 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months. 6months, and 1 year post operatively. My patients can confirm this.
Going back to the same question, Where the surgery was done?
If the surgery was done at my clinic, we would not even have this conversation.
If the surgery was done at another clinic, I was given no patient record to maintain. I have no way of following up on them. Besides, contacting patients of another clinic is not perceived favorably, particularly when you have an agreement and understanding that the other clinic will look after the patients from the clinic.
Regardless where you had the surgery, I am fully prepared to help you. But I need your cooperation.
The truth remains that
Thomas 75, you had surgery done a few years ago (2004) with me. You were not happy with the results. I had not heard from you until April 2007 and now publicly in September 2007.
Thomas 75, you know I do not have a copy of your file. You did not consent me to have a copy of your file. (All I need is your signature for consent to retrieve a copy of your chart from the clinic where I worked previously. You don’t even need to physically get it for me).
You said that you wanted my help yet you did not let me help you. I am still baffled about why you did not accept my offer to fly you (with your patient file) to my office in Ottawa at no expense to you.
With regards to your answers to my questions, aside from the fact I was your surgeon, and I did agree to your surgery (explained above), your answers to the remaining questions were all untruthful.
I am certain that the truth will come out soon enough.
Dr. H. Rahal
