Posted on sat, jun. 11, 2005
board revokes abortion doctor's license
john hanna
associated press
topeka, kan. - more than two months after
disciplinary action forced him to close
his kansas city, kan., abortion clinic,
Dr. Krishna rajanna has lost his
license.
The state board of healing arts voted
unanimously saturday to revoke rajanna's
license. Earlier this year, his case
became the focus of a legislative debate
over regulating abortion clinics.
A board inspector made two surprise visits
in march to rajanna's clinic, reporting
that the facility was unclean and that
rajanna and his staff kept syringes of
medications in an unlocked refrigerator.
The inspector also reported finding a dead
mouse in the hallway.
Rajanna argued that he had not been given
an opportunity to meet with the inspector
to correct the deficiencies. He also said
in his 10 years of performing abortions in
kansas city, no patient has ever
complained about his care.
But board members concluded that rajanna's
clinic represented a danger and said that
as a doctor, he shouldn't have needed the
board's prodding to keep a clinic clean
and safe.
Rajanna can appeal the decision to
district court. His attorney, robert
manske, said rajanna will decide soon
whether to challenge the board's action.
Manske told the board that revoking
rajanna's license would hurt poor
patients, saying rajanna's clinic operated
in a low-income neighborhood and charged
reasonable fees for services no one else
would provide. Manske also said the
problems cited by the inspector could be
corrected.
"it's kind of like driving a tack with a
sledge hammer in this case," he told the
board. "there are no patients in here
telling you he did bad things to them."
but board member nancy welsh, a
topeka-area doctor, said the board should
not permit lesser standards of cleanliness
and safety because a clinic's patients are
poor.
"why do they deserve a dirty clinic?" she
said.
Board members also noted that rajanna had
been previously disciplined, in 2000 and
2001, for not properly testing his
patients for their blood types and for
improperly labeling medications. Also, in
february, rajanna signed an agreement to
improve his clinic's conditions and paid a
$1,000 fine.
Rajanna told board members he'd improved
the labeling of syringes containing
medicines for patients and had wanted to
have the inspector review them.
But board member ronald whitmer, an
ellsworth osteopath, said he didn't care
whether the inspector or someone else
would have told rajanna if the labels were
proper.
"that's something you should have learned
in medical school," he told rajanna.
Rajanna's clinic became part of the
legislature's debate on abortion last
year, when attorney general kline released
photos he said an informant had taken
inside the clinic in 2003.
Kathleen ostrowski, legislative research
director for kansans for life, the state's
largest anti-abortion group, noted the lag
in time between questions about rajanna's
clinic first arising and the board
revoking his license.
Also, she said, many poor women won't come
forward if they're harmed by an abortion,
out of fear, shame or a lack of medical
knowledge.
"there is a problem here," she said. "is
the public being protected?"
with rajanna's case pending, abortion
opponents won legislative approval this
year of a bill requiring abortion clinics
to obtain an annual license from the
department of health and environment, hire
surgeons as their medical directors and
report patient deaths to the state within
a day. The measure also mandated that
kdhe set standards for equipment, medical
screenings, ventilation and lighting.
But gov. Kathleen sebelius, an abortion
rights supporter, vetoed the measure,
saying medical professionals - not
legislators - should set standards.
Manske had urged board members not to
allow pressure from abortion opponents to
"stampede" them into revoking rajanna's
license.
"i don't think you've got to throw away a
doctor here," he said. "he's a good
man."
however, ostrowski said rajanna's clinic
should have been shut down long before it
was.
"what other branch of medicine could get
away with any of this?" she said.
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http://www.Kansascity.Com/mld/kansascity/
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