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W. Virginia no closer to ending surgeon walkoutState looks at alternatives for patients as strike enters day 3
CHARLESTON, West Virginia (CNN) -- Surgeons in West Virginia's northern panhandle stayed away from their hospitals for the third straight day Friday, their protest of high malpractice premiums leaving the state government with a case of the jitters over providing adequate health care to its citizens. David Bailey, a spokesman for the Public Employees Insurance Agency, said the state's main concern is "making sure the people of West Virginia have access to the best available health care." "That's what we're trying to focus on," he said. Gov. Bob Wise said Thursday that his administration is working with EMS officials and hospitals and has up a "hotline" West Virginians can call to find out where to go for medical assistance. "The physicians who have taken this action have assured state officials they will not abandon patients currently under treatment, and they will maintain office hours," the governor said. "In addition, the emergency rooms at each facility continue to be staffed and can handle most ER visits." Thursday evening, one man was brought into Wheeling Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Within 15 minutes, one of the striking doctors came to the operating room and performed surgery on the man, according to CNN's Whitney Casey. Some of the surgeons who are staging the walkout came to Charleston Thursday for a meeting with state officials -- including Wise, who said he would unveil, in his state of the state address next week, long-term proposals to alleviate the liability situation. "The meeting yesterday was a continuation of talks that have been going on for months," Bailey said. "We were very disappointed that they decided to walk out just days before the governor's state of the state address and the start of the legislative session." Dr. Donald Hofreuter, CEO of Wheeling Hospital, said he was "cautiously optimistic" after the meeting with the governor. But the surgeons showed no signs of returning the work. West Virginia has been one of the states most affected by the issue of rising malpractice insurance costs. Virtually all of the private insurers have pulled out of the state, leaving surgeons dependent on the extremely costly state plan for malpractice insurance. Robert Zaleski, one of the doctors who is staging the walkout, said he can't afford premiums for malpractice insurance. "I have been pushed to the limits of affordability and availability. My malpractice premium is $150,000 a year, and it looks like it's getting worse. I frankly can't afford that," said Zaleski, an orthopedic surgeon who works at Wheeling Hospital. He said what is at stake is "an issue of quality health care and the continuation of quality care." The surgeon said he wished the situation had been fixed long before the walkout. "I would certainly jump in front of a bus if I could to continue to serve my patients as I have for 23 years," he said.
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