Last week I faced a similar situation faced by Dr Chase in the current season of HOUSE. If you are a follower of the medical series, you would know that Dr Robert Chase (Jesse Spenser) made a medical decision that would directly result in the death of a tyrannic dictator which would prevent the latter from committing genocide in his country, should he recover from a mysterious illness.
Two episodes down the line and we see Dr Chase grappling with a badly affected guilty conscience that began to sap all his energy and make him lose focus on his work. He tried to seek some kind of solace by asking for forgiveness from a Catholic priest in a confession box, only to be told by the latter to surrender to the police; something which Dr Chase refused to consider because he felt that what he did was right and justified. Still, his conscience pricked him every moment that he lived.
Now, I am not saying I killed anyone, intentionally nor do I need to rush to the nearest confession box to spill the beans to the sympathetic ears of a priest.
Last week I learned from a very reliable source that one of my HIV patient on treatment has decided to stop therapy (again) as he felt well and healthy. What was worst is that he now has a new girlfriend! Previously I have treated this man for tuberculosis, PCP, multiple genital ulcers and warts and he has been put on HAART (Highly Active Anti-retroviral Therapy) which he defaulted once or twice but we managed to get him back on track. Once his genital ulcers were so bad, you could see his nuts inside the scrotum! He also has a number of girlfriends whom he was having unprotected sex with, despite knowing his own status. I have seen his girlfriends, they were gorgeous!
The last time I saw this chick-magnet, he swore that he would be good.
Obviously swearing is overrated.
Hearing the news made me angry inside. I am treating a HIV+ man so that he can remain healthy and he uses his regained health to infect others!
Oh Gosh!!!
What do I do? Leave him to die, the next time he comes (as he will surely come) with another opportunistic infection or scrotal ulcer? That would be against the Hippocratic oath I took. Or should I treat this scum-bag and he gets well enough to go infect even more women? That would weigh heavily on my conscience.
Sigh….
What do I do?
Mon, 260410 @ 1400
