Essay Sample on V.A. Hospital Scandal: Falsified Records & Secret Waiting List

Introduction

General Shinseki was a Secretary for Veterans Affairs who's Agency had a scandal of the Veterans Affairs' system having falsified records of the long during the patients had to wait to see the doctors. Additionally, the veterans in the V.A. .hospital in Phoenix were not in the list of appointments that they belonged as they were shunted off to a secret waiting list that was a lie (Sorkin, 2014). The hospital did that in the hope of non-disclosure on the long hours. The patients had to wait to be taken care of hence leading to complaints in the department. They cited a national problem that had grown worse in the last few weeks before an interim inspector general's report on the same. The story had therefore been published by an acting inspector general on Wednesday, citing the problems within the department concerning the worse situation on lower health care levels than deserved by the veterans that were considered a major insult.

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Other institution's problems were that the veterans were being deprived of medical attention in spite of the V.A. being a considerable organization. That is coupled with its substantial annual report of almost a hundred and fifty million dollars and its operation being countrywide, housing hinders of medical facilities in the country (Cassidy,2014). Besides the non-list, other schemas underscored were the pretext on non-waiting times, citing that it was a patient's request on a particular date two months away hence reasons for the delay of treatment, especially for the patients who died while waiting to be treated. The three external actors that put pressure for change in the department were the inspector general, Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill who called for the resignation of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Erick Shinseki. That was coupled with President Obama, who had lost confidence in Shinseki and was willing to accept Shinseki's resignation (Cassidy, 2014).

The external actors put pressure for change in the department were the Obama administration introducing policies of squeezing in resources in the quests of initiating treatment and making it easier for all veterans of all ages to access medications. They also demanded medical services to the veterans that are not only related to conflict but also in the increment of demands for all medical services. Besides, the Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, like Senator Kay Hogan, demanded the resignation and stepping aside of Shinseki (Cassidy, 2014). Additionally, the conservative media through the cable channels in its newspapers and networks aired various stories concerning patients who were being deprived of medical attention coupled with heart trending footages of young Iraq and Afghanistan of war on artificial limbs.

Moreover, inspector general and investigators championed for subpoenaing of autopsy results and death certificates for the veterans who died while on the waiting list. Besides, Shinseki was asked to take immediate action on ensuring that the veterans who were off Phoenix care were well identified and for which they would be provided. The stakeholders also pushed for the addressing of the V.A. secretary's action on its sufficiency and recommendations to include the waiting list in a national review. Similarly, whistleblowers illuminated transparency on grievances of the veterans that had been lost for a long time owing to the weariness of the V.A. system that seemed overburdened and had not worked on the right way.

Conclusion

In conclusion, since V.A. is a publicly financed medical system, there was also a proposal of linking the V.A. budget to patients and veterans that would ensure that treatment into a program of entitlement. That would ensure that the appropriated money by congress to the Agency in every cycle of budget does not become short. Similarly, the Republicans in Congress secured a vote against the bill that would foresee more funding for the V.A. until there was a change in the department.

References

Cassidy, J. (2014, May).Why Obama Should Have Stuck with Shinseki. The New Yorker.Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/why-obama-should-havestuck-with-Shinseki

Sorkin, A. (2014, May).A Tough Report on the V.A. Waiting -List Scandal. The New Yorker.Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/news/amy-davidson/a-tough-report-on-thev-a-waiting-list-scandal