Indian American Gastroenterologist Placed On Probation For Not Wearing Hearing Aid While Preforming Colonoscopies

An Indian American doctor has been placed on disciplinary action for failure to wear hearing aids while performing procedures on two patients last year. According to a complaint filed by the Florida Department of Health, Dr. Ishwari Prasad, an 84-year-old Tampa-based gastroenterologist, wasn’t wearing his hearing aids while conducting two subpar colonoscopy procedures on June 5, 2023, at Ambulatory Surgery Center Tampa. Prasad is “hearing impaired and uses assistive hearing devices to able to effectively communicate with his surgical team and patients,” the complaint says. 

During the first surgery, Prasad is said to have “improperly delegated” medical tasks to a surgical tech who did not have a license to practice medicine, the complaint reads.

However, as Prasad allegedly was not wearing the hearing aid, he couldn’t hear the screams of a patient who woke up during a procedure. He was also unable to effectively communicate with the surgical team, and he also ”improperly delegated” tasks to a surgical tech, who did not have a medical license,” the complaint reads. The tech was instructed by Prasad to perform “at least one task, including scope insertion, scope manipulation, manipulating an instrument over polyps or tissue or removing polyps or tissue.”

The Miami Herald reported that an emergency restriction order from September provided more details on the second procedure, “saying the sedation issue originally arose due to a problem with the patient’s IV line.” According to the Herald, the order said that Prasad “continued to insert the scope despite being told to wait and began to thrust the scope into (the patient’s) rectum while (the patient) shouted in pain.” Prasad, however, continued to move the scope while (the patient) continued to scream.” 

The publication also reported that a hospital administrator had been present in the room and told Prasad he needed to wait, to which the gastroenterologist “leaned over the patient and shouted “I know!” to the administrator, yet continued to manipulate the scope.”

During the investigation into the incidents, the surgical tech revealed she routinely assists the doctor with an assortment of medical tasks beyond her training during colonoscopies, indicating this was, “because Dr. Prasad is unable to perform them himself.” She told investigators she “pushes the scope, holds the scope, cuts polyps, puts clips on and removes and pulls out specimens,” the emergency order says.

See Also

Indian American Vaishali Bhatia Named Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Aerospace and Defense Company

Another one of Prasad’s patients has detailed an eerily similar experience she said she suffered through back in 2018 in a separate incident.’I was a little panicky because I couldn’t move. And I’m fully aware of what’s going on. I can hear everything that’s going on around me. And I can actually see the doctor,’ Ingrid Rafael told Fox 13 in the wake of the lawsuit.

According to Health Department records, Prasad began practicing medicine in the early 1980s in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, specializing in gastroenterology and internal medicine, and was licensed to practice in Florida in 1990. In the order finalized on Aug. 7, the board put him on probation. He has been fined $7,500 and will be required to pay $6,301 in case costs on top of that. He also needs to have another physician supervise his gastroenterology procedures. He will not be able to perform any procedures on his own until he either is evaluated for competency by one of the multiple designated programs or performs 10 gastroenterology procedures “under the supervision of a physician” who will then make a recommendation to the probation committee. The terms of his suspension require him to take a five-hour continuing medical education class before Aug. 7 of next year.