On Tuesday, January 9th, a man witnessed and video taped an older woman being wheeled in a wheelchair to the bus stop by people in dark uniforms. The men were from the University of Maryland Medical Center. She appeared to be wearing nothing but her hospital gown and a pair of socks in the 40 degree January weather. The men were then seen returning to the University of Maryland Medical Center with an empty wheelchair, leaving the woman all alone on the sidewalk near a bus station, with her belongings in a plastic sack.
Imamu Baraka, the man who witnessed and videotaped the entire incident, was shown trying to help the woman. The patient seemed to have no center of balance, trouble communicating, and showed signs of being mentally ill. She was hard to understand, barely speaking at all during the duration of the eleven-minute video. She seemed just as confused as the bystanders witnessing the event.
“This is disgusting that they would just leave her unattended on a bus stop," Baraka stated. I can’t say I disagree. The video was posted on Facebook around midnight the same night.
A statement given by the hospital officials said that they were conducting a “thorough review” of the incident, explaining that they “share the shock and disappointment” of those who have seen the video.
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If the hospital workers are indeed responsible for this cruel event, what do you think their punishment should be? Should they have one at all?
I definitely think that the hospital workers, and all involved, should be thoroughly punished and/or fired. What they did, whether or not they were instructed to by someone else, was cruel and inhumane.
If this was a case of the woman’s financial problems or insurance, do you agree with what the hospital workers did? Why or why not?
I do not agree with what the hospital workers did. Whether or not it was financial or insurance-related, no one deserves to be dumped in the freezing cold weather, especially in the condition she was in. I believe that it is their jobs, as doctors, to help those who need it.
Replies
Well done overall. You could have commented more frequently to student comments.
I think if they are truly responsible, then they should definitely be fired from the hospital and this should be on their records so if they apply to other hospitals in the future, the people hiring them will know the truth. I do not agree with what the hospital workers did, they should not stop caring for a patient that is financially unstable. As a hospital, it is their job to take care of patients with or without payment.
Yes, I agree that there should be justice for the incident. I also agree that the punishments should be harsh, and that they should be fired. They as doctors take oaths to their career and to help people in need, and this woman was an example of that.
I think that they should be fired or suspended for a long time because this woman was not wearing appropriate clothing. Even if she couldnt afford staying any longer than they should have found a different way such as calling in any relatives.
Obviously, it is definitely necessary to dismiss everyone who was involved in this act, and of course I would also say that they deserve to go to jail, I do not understand how there can be such cruel people.
2. I do not know why they left her lying on a sidewalk, but there is nothing to justify the act, she is a sick woman. A woman's life should go before money.
I believe that they should be fired on the spot. What they did was completely wrong. If this is a financial problem with the women, it still doesn't change anything about how she was treated.
I think they should be fired. The hospital is acting like they don't know why this is happening, so the workers weren't instructed to do this by the important people of the hospital. The workers who left her outside should be fired.
I don't. Even if she wan't finacially stable, she clearly wasn't ok. She needed help, and I think it is the hospital's duty to give it to her.
1. There should be justice and who is responsible for this really needs to have life spelled out for them.
2. I don't agree with what the workers did. In being a doctor they take an oath to save as many lives as they can trufully and everything in between. I think everyone should have that view.
They are putting this womens life in danger by leaving her outside all alone while she is obviously in need of medical support. It also seems a little suspicious that these people were in dark uniforms. Makes it sound really scary. I do not agree with the workers actions. The workers get paid to help those in need of medical assistance. If they are just dropping off their patients all alone outside in these winter conditions, they don't deserve to have this job.
Yes, I would say that if the hospital had more security or cameras, the problem could have been stopped before it happened. I also agree that they had plenty of other options other than to leave a woman in the cold. This should definitely be looked into and serious punishments should be set.
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