Wally Roche picks up the story...
The former chief radiologist for the Pittsburgh VA Healthcare System claims she was fired in retaliation for reporting activity by top local officials that hurt patient care.The posting has since been taken down but I've just received a copy. There will be more to come. Finally, in the piece, I am referenced.
Dr. Anna K. Chacko charged in a lengthy memo posted on the Internet that fraud and favoritism pervade the regional VA and that eight veterans were exposed to excessive radiation levels because of the actions of top officials, including Dr. Mona F. Melhem, vice president of clinical support.
She charges that a series of administrative actions were used to silence and ultimately remove her from her post. She said they gave her personnel information to an Internet blogger.
The suggestion that I was provided personnel files on Dr. Chacko by her superiors is absolutely false. I built my stories through publicly available information as well as hours of phone calls by current and previous colleagues at the Pittsburgh VA, St. James Hospital, Lahey Clinic, and the military. Everything I have written can be verified through publicly available information or it was relayed to me by multiple sources.
She may have learned from an alleged "whistleblower" at Lahey Clinic, who got big bucks even though he had many HR violations.
ReplyDeleteWhat Chacko may not realize is that her "expertise" and "knowledge" can only be used as a weapon if others don't have similar knowledge. Her allegations can easily be cross-checked against reality. In the past year or so, for example, Thallium has had to be used instead of Technetium because of Technetium shortages. Maybe this is what she's referring to and making a mountain out of a molehill. Unlike third world countries, though, more than one person in this country has knowledge and expertise. The bad apples in the USA can be weeded out.
ReplyDeleteWhat only a few people know is that Chacko was promising the governor of Montana to develop a nuclear reactor, produce Technetium, and become a private provider of radioactive material, for big bucks of course, to governmental (VA hospitals) and non-govermental entities.
ReplyDeleteShe must be put in check. She is dangerous.