by Damilola Jagun
A popular cancer doctor in Michigan, Dr. Farid Fata, who was accused of giving false diagnosis to cancer patients to make money, has pleaded guilty to the charges.
In a Detroit courtroom on Tuesday, 7 October, Fata admitted to intentionally and wrongfully diagnosing healthy people with cancer, and giving them chemotherapy drugs, with the aim of making profit.
According to government records, Fata’s medical practice included 1,200 patients.
Fata, who owns Michigan Hematology Oncology, which had multiple offices throughout Detroit’s suburbs, was reportedly tearful as he stated his plea in the absence of a plea deal. He said, “It is my choice.”
He also revealed several dangerous drugs which he had prescribed to his patients, and with each admittance, he said, “I knew that it was medically unnecessary.”
The US Attorney, who is prosecuting the case, Barbara McQuade is expected to seek a sentence of life in prison, after labelling it “the most egregious” health care fraud case she has ever seen.
McQuade said that apart from the insurance fraud, Fata also harmed, and in some cases, killed his patients with dangerous chemotherapy drugs that were unnecessary to them.
Angela Swantek, a chemotherapy nurse, who was the whistle blower of the doctor, said she had reported him to the authorities as far back as 2010, but they informed her that there was no proof of malpractice in Fata’s practice.
“I’m numb, I’m not surprised though; I wondered how his team was going to defend him. The charts don’t lie. I left after an hour and half. I thought this is insane,” Swantek said about her short time in Fata’s office in 2010 where she noticed patients receiving chemotherapy incorrectly. She wrote a letter to the state suggesting an investigation that day. In 2011, the state informed her they found no proof of wrongdoing at Fata’s office.”
“I handed them Dr. Fata on a platter in 2010 and they did absolutely nothing. I started crying. I thought about all of the patients he took care of and harmed. At a time when they are most vulnerable and fearful, cancer patients put their lives in the hands of doctors and endure risky treatments at their recommendation.”
Meanwhile, the Assistant Attorney General, Leslie Caldwell accused Fata of putting greed before the health of his patients.
“Dr. Fata today admitted he put greed before the health and safety of his patients, putting them through unnecessary chemotherapy and other treatments just so that he could collect additional millions from Medicare. The mere thought of what he did is chilling.”
49-year-old Fata will be sentenced in February before U.S. District Judge Paul Borman. He is a native of Lebanon, but became a naturalized citizen of the U.S. in 2009.
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