Doctor Refuses Gay Man Access to His HIV Medication During Hospital Stay

Posted by Kevin Farrell on Jun 4, 2012 in Oh Hell No! | 27 comments

Denied.

You know how missing even one dose of HIV medication can mean that a patient’s body can develop an immunity to treatment?

Susan V. Borga, M.D., from the Department of Behavioral Health and Psychiatry, allegedly approached Simoes while he was confined to the hospital’s mental health wing. Borga is not named as a defendant.

Simoes says Borga was unfazed when another patient told her that he had just gotten out of prison, where he served time for murder. But her reaction was allegedly different when Simoes said that he did not work because he planned to go back to school and because of his HIV status.

Borga then allegedly asked Simoes how he got HIV, to which he responded, “I got it from unprotected sex.”

The complaint then says that “Dr. Borga closed the plaintiff’s file, put it down and looked at plaintiff with disgust on her face and asked, coldly, “Is that from sex with men?”

Simoes says he responded affirmatively and that, “immediately after hearing this, Dr. Borga proceeded to exit the room.”

After this consultation, no nurse or doctor came to see Simoes, even though he told them that he needed to take his HIV medication, according to the complaint.

After three harrowing days Simoes was finally permitted to contact his regular physician and plead for his medication. Imagine his surprise to hear from his doctor that he had already instructed the hospital to provide the patient his lifesaving drugs, orders which had been ignored.

Dr. Borga went on to accuse Simoes’ primary care physician of also being gay, and defended her illegal, unethical, and immoral failure to do her goddamn job and treat the patient under her care by saying, “This is what he gets for going against God’s will,’ and hung up the phone on plaintiff’s doctor.”

Five doses on medication were ultimately missed before Simoes’ sister was permitted to give him his medication. Again, missing even just a single dose can cause those with HIV to become resistant or immune to the cocktails of prescription drugs used to keep the virus at bay.

It almost goes without saying, but Trinitas Regional Medical Center is having their asses sued off.

Stay tuned.

(via Court House News)

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=592796245 Trenton Flock

The woman and all who were accomplices in this should face criminal charges. They willfully and negligently put this man at great risk and (if he has indeed developed immunity) increased the pool of drug-resistant virus. They should be sued AND jailed. And as for their medical licenses…I think we can close the file on them, too.
sarahdamerow

Imo religious types shouldn’t even be allowed to be doctors. This is why.
Plop!

Hippocratic Oath anyone??? Med license should be revoked STAT
Jacob Ryan

Daaamn. This doctor should get it hard. She could have just as easily killed him this way had he not had his meds restored to him. I’m glad they’re suing the pants off the hospital but seriously, there should be a bigger investigation into her behavior and who else it might have affected.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1433868990 Jason Dols

I would be calling for an immediate revocation of her license along with the other staff who were involved. What she did is the most unethical, immoral, thing a doctor could do. As the saying with the Red Queen, “Off with her head!!”
Lolly84

Ummm pretty sure straight people can be HIV positive too. Wonder if the outcome would have been the same if that had been the case. I can tell you now that this would not happen where I come from (Australia) and if it did, the “doctor” would be thrown into prison, and never be allowed to practice again. Disgraceful! “Against god’s will”? Who is she kidding? I thought christians were supposed to preach love and acceptance, not try to KILL people… Bunch of loonys is all they are…
http://www.facebook.com/people/Amy-Doss-Andres/729901765 Amy Doss Andres

I don’t believe a doctor would behave this way. Just my opinion. I DO believe that UB stirs up trouble on a daily basis.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1365172585 James Rodgers Jr

So why take the time to read it? Why take the time to post a needlessly negative comment? Also, you do realize that they aren’t pulling this story out of their ass right? There is a cited source.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Angel-Waite/1270145027 Angel Waite

It’s been proven that there have been doctors that have behaved this way and worse many times before so I guess you don’t believe in the truth. As for accusing UB of stirring up trouble…If reporting what they know is stirring up trouble then I guess that’s the norm.
Elfangel

Oh believe me they DO act this way! Granted, this cow was far more blatant than I have heard of so far though I have had to have had to have friends and family sneak in my meds when I have gone to the hospital (Some weird poliicy about inventory, drug interaction etc, it didn’t make sense to me either.)

It’s not just fundamental/evangelical christianity either. Back in the 1990s I had already out lived my San Francisco doctor’s prognosis from 1988 and had moved to Sacramento. I was working for a major hotel which kept changing insurance cutting costs making me change dr.s at least once a year. One time I called around on the list we were given at the last minute, found a dr and made an appointment but was called a few days prior to reschedule but their computer was down. After 6-8 weeks of phone tag I finally got the dr on the phone and after heavy questioning was told that she didn’t treat people with HIV/AIDS. Turns out she was east indian and evidently she had cultural issues with treating me. Why she couldn’t jsut tell me the first day I called that, perhaps, she didn’t feel qualified to treat me, I would have been disappointed that such an unprofessional health worker was recommended to me by the insurance I had but I probably would not have made the formal complaint…

My current doctor I got while I was still on COBRA and fighting for my Disability/Medicare ( I had fought several doctors’ warnings that I needed to quit work, cut stress and go on disability from 1988 to 1998). The first 2-3 years things were OK, though getting in when ill was a hassle but the last 8-9 years have been a nightmare with me having to go without my meds for 1 to 8 weeks when a refill is sent to my doctor for renewal. I have been told that they are losing money seeing me because I am a Medicare/MediCal (California’s Medicaid program) patient. Also, due to the fact that I am a Medicare/MediCal patient, no other doctor will take me on.

I am a 25+ year survivor with AIDS with a highly resistant strain so if my current meds fail, I die. The plight of the HIV patient is just an amplified version of the nightmare EVERYONE is vulnerable to at some point in their lives. Racism, sexism, classism, religious dogma, homophobia etc ABSOLUTELY should be zero tolerance offenses in the medical field.
http://www.facebook.com/robert.ebers Robert Ebers

Yes Amy, when the truth hurts it’s always a good idea to blame the messenger.

My question is: How you manage to breathe with your head buried in the sand?

http://www.facebook.com/people/Anthony-James/1013095373 Anthony James

This doctor should have her license REVOKED!
chesky_division

imagine how advanced science would be if religion did not get in the way..Why is it ppl that claim their rights to practice their faith forget others have that same right.. Wonder if she would stop treatment if he had been her family member?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Kathleen-ONeill/1176707432 Kathleen O’Neill

I had to go back to Court House News, as I didn’t notice the location of this hospital. I am beyond shocked that this is in my state!

Then again, in my state, you can’t marry someone of the same gender, but you can marry a first cousin, so maybe I shouldn’t be so shocked. I only live here geographically, my heart is still in New York, where you can marry someone of the same gender (as well as marry your first cousin, although hopefully it would not be your first cousin of the same gender. Although, that would render the idea of genetic counseling unnecessary.)

I’m not lawsuit happy at all, but this is one time where I hope they wipe the floor with all concerned.
byappy

the patient should most definitely sue the doctor and the hospital. no one, doctor or otherwise, has the right to deny someone their lifesaving medications just because they live an alternative lifestyle with which the doctor does not agree with.
byappy

the patient should most definitely sue the doctor and the hospital that employs her. she had no right to deny the patient his lifesaving meds just because she disapproves of the patients lifestyle. do doctors not swaer an oath to protect and preserve human life with no regards to race, sex, creed, or sexual orientation? i think that this doctor should have her license to practice taken away
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1005919520 Erica LeVan

>.> Ok, the problem with this is she’s going against another doctor’s orders. If a patient wants something, and they have a perscription, it doesn’t matter about someone’s frappy moral objection because denying it can make you get your ass sued off. Honestly, his sexual life is none of her business in the first place if she is gonna have that kind of stupid reaction. If the guy had died due to her moral objection, she would be facing negligence charges severely. >,.,> I’d like to see her basically say “God told me to kill him for his sins so I did” in court and see that fall to pieces and her ass end up in jail for maintaining her little moral objection. >,.,>

http://www.facebook.com/people/Tiffany-Jeffords/1502506418 Tiffany Jeffords

the plea of “God told me to kill him because he sinned by have sexual relations with another man/” has been used and it both won and lost. The man was jailed in a hospital for the criminally insane because he head voices.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Akers/100000193916682 Bill Akers

no words can express the pure rage i feel after reading this bullshit!!!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Akers/100000193916682 Bill Akers

ok in all seriousness the medical field isn’t CHURCH you can’t shun people who need treatment because you think “god hates fags” she should never be able to work as a Doctor again EVER!!! the medical field is supposed to be unbiased not religious!
kitty_superslip

that is a direct violation of her hippocratic oath! that woman should not only have her license to practice taken but she should be thrown in jail for attempted murder. like in all jobs in america we must leave our personal feelings about religion at the door. especially the medical industry. this is obscene and i cant help but wonder what goes on in a persons mind to justify this kind of behavior.
Phil Mata

My fury puts me at an utter loss for words.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Brian-Goulet/25704485 Brian Goulet

…if i were his sister, i’d have immediately gone to the police. if that didn’t work, i’d have gone to the gun cabinet
http://www.facebook.com/DarHalen Stewart McDonald

She has no business being a doctor, she has violated the Hippocratic oath and has done serious harm. The hospital need to compensate beyond what anybody would expect, such as in the Millions of Dollars range because the VICTIM of this episode could ultimately lose out if no other cocktail will work. I’m an AIDS patient as well and understand what he might go through if he has to spend trial and error time to find a new med cocktail.
kevzin1

Borja Susan V Dr316 Lenox Avenue Westfield, NJ 07090
(908) 233-7903
Joey Willoughby

I hope they find a way to be able to charge her with 1st degree attempted murder.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Amelia-Treadway/1062421812 Amelia Treadway

What part of “Do no harm” does this bigoted woman not understand?! Medical professionals are taught that our patients are people who have rights and deserve to be treated with compassion and respect, even if they believe in or live a lifestyle that we don’t agree with. She and her accomplices should never, EVER, be in charge of another person’s care (medical or otherwise) again! This is sickening! If you can’t live your holy book at home, you aren’t cut out to be in charge of other peoples’ medical care!

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