Officials of Columbus hospital which is part of Mount Carmel Health System were alerted that one of their critical care doctors was giving his patients overdose of pain medications that was leading to their deaths. President and CEO of Columbus Hospital Ed Lamb said that they were alerted to the fact that Dr. William Husel who was treating people that were close to death was actually responsible for 34 patients all of whom are now dead. Though the hospital received a report on October 25 that the doctor was administering excessive and what could be called potentially fatal doses of pain medication the hospital removed him from its rolls only by 21st November that lead to three more deaths. Hospital spokesperson Samantha Irons stated that their investigations revealed definitive details of 28 patients that received excessive pain medication and died as a result.
CEO Ed Lamb that as the investigation is still underway they may find some more cases of patients that expired due to strong pain killer medication. Dr. Husel was on the hospital’s rolls for nearly 5 years and was not traceable by news agencies. Ed Lamb has expressed regret for the tragedy and said that their hospital team would investigate in detail about response to the reports about Dr. Husel and why action against him was instigated only after a month. The Medical Board of Ohio has suspended Dr. Husel’s license based on failure to comply with drug selection methods and not cooperating with investigators. He has just a month to request hearing after which permanent action will be taken against him. Survivors of patients that died due to negligence of Dr. Husel have named him and the hospital system in the lawsuit alleging excessive pain medication as the chief reason for death. The last suit filed by family Janet Kavanaugh states that she was given excessive dosage of fentanyl in December 2017 that led to immediate death.
