Not My Style

It is not my style to complain about newspaper articles and their perceptual effects. However, when my patients and colleagues question my competence as a prostate cancer specialist (all Urological Surgeons are able to handle all urological cancers and there isn’t any pure prostate cancer specialists in the country, as all urological Surgeons handle all Urological cancers adequately).

I have no other opinion but to request that this error be corrected as it has produced a question mark on my professional competence to handle prostate cancer patients. It is not my style to refer simple prostate cancer patient (as the one you are describing) to another Urological Surgeon.

As a Urological Surgeon we are all trained to manage all stages of prostate cancer utilising different modalities of medical and surgical treatments. The only referrals for prostate cancer patients occur to radio therapeutic specialists for radiation management.

Since the publishing of your article I have been unnecessarily and unfairly questioned about my competence to manage prostate cancer patients. In your article you indicated I had to refer this simple problem to another doctor. This has caused me undue professional embarrassment, and I may have lost patients as a result of your article.

It is quite possible (as I do not know the full name of your patient) that I referred this gentleman to the Eric Williams Medical Science Complex for free management, as he may have been unable to afford the private cost of such an extensive operation in the Public Sector.

Unfortunately, due to discriminatory practices against me as a result of my political affiliation, and also the fact that as minister in the Ministry of Health I took action against several people who were mismanaging the RHA for their personal self interest for which I was targetted when we left office in 2001.

As a result I cannot offer these poor patients free surgeries for prostate cancer as I was able to do in Sangre Grande Hospital during the years 1993 to 2005.

The insinuation of your article really saddens me, as I have always been on the cutting edge of Urological Surgery and I have always given my patients the best, and up to date Urological care.

All Urological Surgeons can handle all prostate cancers. There is no one practising pure prostate cancer specilisation in this country. The newest technique of Brachytherapy and High Intensity Focused Ultrasound are replacing surgery worldwide. These are the modalities of the future, (less invasive, better quality of life).

The late Hector Mc Lean always taught me to make sure that I take care of the little things as they can turn out to be big problems if not addressed.

DR FUAD KHAN

Port-of-Spain