An NYU Medical Center doctor was fired for anonymously calling lap-band patients the night before their surgery to warn them that they might die. Surgical resident Neelu Pal saw one patient die from the surgery in 2006, and took it upon herself to warn patients about the procedure—even if she had to lie about her identity! One patient told the Post Pal disguised herself as an operating room nurse and told her she "had watched many patients die from the procedure" and said to "think about having the surgery someplace else."
Pal has filed a whistleblower suit against NYU, claiming her bosses, Drs. George Fielding and Christine Ren-Fielding, were not giving patients proper post-operative care. Dr. George Fielding operated on Jets coach Rex Ryan, who seems to be doing fine. The doctors described Pal's behavior as an "attempt to scare patients into canceling their treatment" and an "egregious example of unprofessional and irresponsible behavior."
Lap-band recipient Rhonda Freiberg died in 2006 of a heart attack just 36 hours after being operated on by George Fielding, and the Department of Health found they had failed to properly monitor her after surgery. The doctors had also previously admitted that some of the doctors in their employ were unlicensed. Pal is now a law student in New Jersey.
