We need more doctors like this one in the world

[Tiger in Spain 0]

When I first saw this article, I thought the "buy a pistol and shoot yourself" diagnosis would have been the primary subject of the piece.

Dr. Bennett accused of advising patient to shoot herself

CONCORD — The New Hampshire Board of Medicine yesterday set a disciplinary hearing on two complaints filed against Dr. Terry Bennett charging him with misconduct and disrespectful and unprofessional behavior.

One complaint charges he spoke to an obese female patient about her condition in a way that caused her distress and embarrassment. The other complaint, which was filed in 2001, said Bennett advised another female patient to buy a pistol so she could commit suicide to end her physical suffering.

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“I’ll defend Dr. Bennett’s right to be as blunt and rough as he wants to be to raise the issue of obesity with his patients,” Douglas said. “Saying something that offended a patient should not be before the board.”

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Bennett has characterized the complaint as being filed because “I told a fat woman she was obese.”

The notice released yesterday quotes Bennett as telling the woman, “You need to lose weight. Let’s face it if your husband were to die tomorrow who would want you. Well, men might want you but not the types that you want to want you. Might even be a black guy.”

“The racial undertone gave rise to concern by the board the complaint might need further investigation,” Head said. “I want to make clear the board’s investigation is not about a doctor telling his patient she is obese.” (Editor's note: The word "not" was erroneously omitted from the previous sentence in earlier versions of this story on this site and in the New Hampshire Union Leader.)

Bennett said during his obesity lecture for women he tells them they most likely will outlive an obese spouse and will have a difficult time establishing a new relationship.

“It’s a wonderful world when the Board of Medicine can take a complaint they deemed without merit, resurrect it and put it together with a complaint that accuses me of racism. We have arrived at ‘1984,’” he said, referring to George Orwell’s novel about government intrusion into people’s private lives.

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The Board of Medicine’s Web site says that state law authorizes the board to take disciplinary action against physicians who engage in providing false information, practicing medicine while impaired, behavior that is incompatible with basic knowledge and competence, dishonest or unprofessional conduct, negligence, allowing an unlicensed person to practice in the physician’s office, failing to provide aseptic safeguards, dishonest advertising or statements, willfully violating the Medical Practice Act or if convicted of a felony.

“Complaints regarding high fees, rudeness or ‘poor beside manner’ do not ordinarily violate one of the above provisions unless they also involve dishonesty or exploitation or gross negligence on the part o the physician,” according to the Web site.

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[bammanmr 0]

Instead of wasting time and $$ by putting this guy up in front of a panel, they should be using him as an example of how to administer advice to patients.

Most patients go to the Dr. wanting to hear what they want to hear as far as advice goes and when the Dr. is honest they get offended. Furthermore, most people think it's the Dr.'s job to give them a shot or a pill to cure something it took them 30 years or so to do to their body, as in this woman's case.

Obesity has the potential to overtake tobacco as the #1 contributor to premature death in the US within 10 years, but you just can't call someone obese without them getting their feelings hurt.

Wow. That sounded awfully conservative to me. Uh-oh.