As reported By MARK HAYWARD
New Hampshire Union Leader
CONCORD — One of 19 Exeter Hospital patients infected with hepatitis C said the infection has kept him from doing one of the most enjoyable and beneficial activities since his heart surgery — walking.
The patient, identified by his lawyer as John Doe No. 1, spoke to the media and allowed his photograph to be taken Thursday morning. He did not provide a name.
A 49-year-old industrial mechanic, the Rockingham County resident said he was doing well until told of the hepatitis C. Since then, he has felt tired and his side hurts.
“It sets you back. You’re depressed all the time. You try to find something to do to take your mind off of it, but you can’t get your mind off it,” he said.
His lawyer, former federal prosecutor Peter G. McGrath, has filed a lawsuit against Exeter Hospital in Rockingham County Superior Court. McGrath said he has 44 clients and is seeking class-action status.
State health officials have said the likely cause of the outbreak is a hospital employee who injected himself with hospital painkillers and then returned the syringe for patient use.
McGrath said there are best practices for prevention of drug diversion, the term used to describe employee misuse of hospital medications. They include inventory control, employee drug testing, background checks, a second nurse to monitor drug dispensations and even retina scans.
Exeter Hospital was careless about following its own protocols, McGrath said, attributing the statement to Dr. Jose Montero, the New Hampshire director of public health.
Hospital spokesman Debbie Vasapolli said she could not comment on McGrath’s statement because of an investigation into the outbreak by the state attorney general.
“It’s clear that something didn’t work well here,” Montero said. But he said he could not discuss specifics because his department is investigating the matter.
Another attorney, Manchester lawyer Mark Abramson, has said he is representing seven clients who have tested positive for hepatitis C.
McGrath said five of his clients have tested positive; 20 are awaiting results; 19 have received negative results.
Patients with negative results suffered from emotional distress, McGrath said. And they are not in the clear: they must take a second test in six months to see whether their bodies have formed hepatitis C antibodies; that test is 98 percent certain, he said.
McGrath said some clients suffered needless pain in the hospital because of the alleged drug diversion.
McGrath’s client, a father of three, said he is dumbfounded over what happened. “I’m pretty much never going back to Exeter Hospital,” he said.
He said he underwent heart surgery last August. This spring, he received a telephone call from the hospital asking him to come in and be treated for hepatitis C.
He said he was disgusted to see that elderly people also had to go in for blood tests.
“They (Exeter Hospital) should be ashamed of themselves,” the man said. Hepatitis C is spread by infected blood and, in some cases, sexual contact, according to the Centers for Disease Control. It can result in long-term liver problems such as cirrhosis and cancer.
McGrath said the treatments are complicated and usually involve a mix of drug cocktails.
McGrath said the man’s wife has suffered sleepless nights and his children are upset.
“It’s all over the news, they can’t get away from it,” he said.
Has you or someone you know been affected by the Hepatitis C outbreak at Exeter Hospital? Do you want to know your legal rights? Call Attorney Peter G. McGrath at (603) 224-7111 or visit www.mcgrathlawfirm.com to learn!!! We will fight for your rights!!