A $15 million lawsuit has been filed in Oklahoma City federal court by George Purifoy, a Vietnam veteran who is alleging that “negligent care at Veterans Affairs medical centers in Oklahoma City and Muskogee caused him facial disfigurement, pain and suffering and a shortened life expectancy.” But what exactly happened to prompt Purifoy to file such a lawsuit? What sort of pain and suffering did he undergo?
A $15 million lawsuit has been filed in Oklahoma City federal court by George Purifoy, a Vietnam veteran who is alleging that “negligent care at Veterans Affairs medical centers in Oklahoma City and Muskogee caused him facial disfigurement, pain and suffering and a shortened life expectancy.” But what exactly happened to prompt Purifoy to file such a lawsuit? What sort of pain and suffering did he undergo?
According to the lawsuit, Purifoy has been “missing most of his nose since undergoing radiation and surgery for nasal cancer,” and is accusing “doctors in Oklahoma’s VA system of failing to timely diagnose and treat lung cancer and the death of bone in his upper jaw caused by radiation.”
In regards to the lung cancer, Purifoy claims that “VA doctors missed opportunities to diagnose that he had a cancerous nodule in his lung when he underwent CT scans in advance of coronary artery bypass grafting surgery in April 2015.” Even though he claims he regularly complained of chest pain in following visits with doctors, it wasn’t until early 2016 that doctors finally detected cancer. In addition, the lawsuit claims that “Oklahoma VA employees also failed to timely detect that he had an infection and osteoradionecrosis in his teeth and upper jaw.” That particular problem wasn’t detected until he visited an oral surgeon in Shreveport, La. Because of the late diagnosis, he ended up losing a big portion of his jaw and seven teeth. Additionally, he suffered “discomfort and embarrassment because of the VA’s delay in providing him with a suitable nasal prosthesis.”
On top of all that, Purifoy also claims that the “VA was slow in providing him with psychiatric treatment,” only exacerbating his emotional distress, the lawsuit states.
The negligent care has also had a big impact on his marriage, according to the lawsuit. That’s why Purifoy is “also suing for a loss of consortium, contending negligent care has caused a strain in” his relationship with his wife.
Fortunately, Purifoy was able to help draw attention to the poor patient care at VA facilities throughout Oklahoma. Just recently he was “one of several veterans featured in a December 2015 USA Today article that focused national attention on patient care issues at Oklahoma VA facilities.” Thanks to the high-profile article, the Veterans Health Administration’ Office of the Medical Inspector launched a federal inquiry. According to preliminary findings, there are indeed “VA shortcomings in three of the five cases.”
The inquiry has also prompted “radical changes,” including a “major shakeup in its senior staff” at the facility that treated Purifoy.
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