It surely is a mad world. Global warming must be effecting our judgements too!

Otherwise, how can one explain the following?

A lady in the UK recently managed to get a total of £44,000 in compensation. Lucky woman.

Why? Because, she accused her anaesthetist of infringing her basic“human rights”.

She insisted on having a few cigarettes, before she had her baby delivered by Caesarian section. The operation had to be delayed. The patient wished to smoke her cigarettes “before” the operation.

The anaesthetist, doing his job, explained how her actions were neither in her or her child’s best interest.

She was adamant; she was determined to smoke. The lady patient did not care about having to delay the operation and inconvenience the whole operating theatre team.

The anaesthetist rightly warned her about the dangers of her heavy smoking, and uttered the words, “If you want to see your grandchildren, you must stop this smoking of yours”.

Result: Anaesthetist was found guilty of interfering with the smoking mother’s “human rights”!

Where do we go from here?

Surely, with all due respect, the judge concerned has just opened the “flood-gates” for thousands of claims against us doctors. We are duty-bound to warn our patients about their dangerous habits, which might eventually kill them. Otherwise, why have doctors?

Further, what if her daughter eventually gets lung cancer or chronic obstructive airways disease, by passive inhalation of her mother’s heavy addictive smoking? She will then have a very strong case to sue the judge who gave her mother £44,000 to spend on cigarettes!

Chev. Colonel

Dr Raymond Bencini Testaferrata

Zebbug