SA MD's Who Diagnosed At Least 10 Cases Of Manganese-Specific Illness Swiftly Fired, Replaced

[hatrack]

When medical specialists diagnosed at least 10 cases of manganese-specific illnesses at a factory in Cato Ridge, KwaZulu Natal, the Assmang manganese company dumped them "like hot potatoes". They replaced them with a new team of doctors that revised the diagnoses to suggest the sick workers might be alcoholics, drug abusers or victims of Aids.

All 10 workers had also been certified previously by the Compensation Commissioner as being permanently disabled as a result of manganism, an occupational disease caused by exposure to excessive levels of toxic manganese. Another 27 workers, also earmarked by doctors as possibly suffering from manganism, were also "cleared" by the new team of medical doctors and some were put back to work.

This emerged on Wednesday during the testimony of Dr Susan Tager to the Department of Manpower inquiry into worker sickness and toxic dust exposure at the factory.

Tager, a senior Johannesburg neurologist who heads the movement disorders clinic at Wits University, expressed surprise that Dr Murray Coombs, a new member of the Assmang expert panel, had rubbished her diagnoses - even though Coombs had not seen or physically examined any of the 10 workers and based his opinion on a review of their medical files. Coombs, from Elixir Corporate Health Solutions, is employed by Assmang as an occupational health consultant. Tager made it clear on Wednesday that she stood by her diagnoses and said she did not think it was "advisable" for anyone - even a highly experienced clinician - to revise a diagnosis merely on the basis of reviewing a patient's medical file.

EDIT

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20080821062541328C714705

[YOY]

1. Sickening...

If anyplace makes it easy to f*** over workers through corruption it's Central Africa.

[hatrack]

3. Ah, but this is the Republic of South Africa - the "developed" part of the continent

Not as developed in some areas as they could be, it seems.

[YOY]

4. My bad. I thought I saw Zaire.

n.t.

[WhiteTara]

2. there are a whole host of illnesses

that come with manganese toxicity
http://ceramic-materials.com/cermat/education/155.html

here are some

- nervousness
- irritability
- memory loss
- tiredness
- insomnia
- muscle weakness
- muscle pain
- trembling fingers
- stiffness of limbs
- difficulty with fine movements
- stuttering
- hoarse voice
- urinary problems
- impotence.

I can see why they had to fire those doctors. Wouldn't want the workers to know they were being killed for pennies!

[Trillo]

5. Only in SA?

It seems that's a tactic that's worked "marvelously" elsewhere in the world for years and decades, and probably centuries or more.

What better way to turn your "professional class" into "professional liars"?