Many of us believe that celebrities live an easier life compared to the rest of us because of the money they have and the influence they possess. When it comes to healthcare, it is a common perception that celebrities and their children receive the best care in the world.
But, this was clearly not the case with Dennis Quaid and his newborn twins, because they were accidentally administered a pretty heavy dose of heparin, which is used to thin blood.
According to reports, Quaid’s babies received 1000 times more than the safe concentration, and although we are not sure how that happened considering the fact that they were receiving treatment at one of the best hospitals in the country, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center located in the Los Angeles region, this horrifying episode has certainly challenged our perception about the quality of care received by celebrities or their children.
Special Care At Hospitals
While Quaid’s case may show that celebrities don’t get any special care at medical centers, Rob Wachter, who heads the medical service being provided at the medical center at the University of California in San Francisco, has clarified that VIPs do get special treatment when they visit medical centers for treatment.
According to Wachter, hospitals maintain a list of VIPs who are likely to visit the hospital, and as soon as someone on that list does visit, a system is in place to alert all the relevant personnel to treat them as a special case. This does not mean that only those who are on that list will receive special treatment. A VIP can simply make a call to the head of the organization and s/he will still be able to receive care on a priority basis.
Not Special Medical Care
But Wachter has also emphasized that although VIPs may receive special treatment when they visit medical centers, that care is limited to non-medical needs of the patient. For example, a VIP may be greeted in a certain manner, have someone handle all the appointments, get a parking space exclusively reserved, and other such services.
However, when it comes to medical needs, there is practically no difference between the care that celebrities receive and that received by anyone else. This is exactly how Dennis Quaid’s babies had to experience that unfortunate episode, which was also experienced by one other baby at the hospital at the same time. All three of these babies received the same kind of medical care.
The Possibility Of Making More Mistakes
In fact, Wachter is of the opinion that the VIP status of an individual may place more pressure on the medical practitioners to not make a mistake considering the high-profile nature of the patient. Although they would still be following the same medical protocols as with any other patient, practitioners may order more tests than necessary just to be sure, which may cause delays, or avoid undertaking intrusive tests just to not make the VIP uncomfortable.
