Many of our readers (and certainly those who attended Whistleblower Week in Washington 2008) may have heard about the case of Dr. Gil Mileikowsky. Dr. Mileikowsky is a California Obstetrician who, in 2000, began blowing the whistle on some very disturbing issues at a hospital that was operated by Tenet Healthcare. Among other things, Dr. Mileikowsky, who has been practicing in the US since 1979, reported negligence by his coworkers and a lack of willingness by the hospital to investigate medical errors. Because of these reports, he suffered unrelenting retaliation and has been stripped of his clinical privileges. (for more information on Dr. Mileikowsky, see his homepage and the Alliance for Patient Safety website, which details his struggle).
Dr. Mileikowsky has filed suit against HCA and Tenet Healthcare, and the case is currently being appealed in the Supreme Court of California. 20 Public Interest Groups, including the National Whistleblower Center, have signed on to an Amicus Curaie brief in support of this brave physician.