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Sunday, January 11, 2004A lawsuit last week evoked a distressing image of the former Beatle George Harrison, weak and exhausted, near the end of his life, being coerced into signing autographs by the doctor who was treating his cancer. Dr. Gilbert Lederman of Staten Island University Hospital has denied through a spokesman that any coercion took place, saying that he and his patient had become close and that Mr. Harrison had freely autographed a guitar belonging to Dr. Lederman's son. Dr. Lederman has now offered to donate the guitar to charity. But the lawsuit, filed by Mr. Harrison's estate, also said the doctor had violated his patient's privacy by giving repeated television interviews within hours of Mr. Harrison's death. The episode, however it is resolved, raised the uneasy question of how far doctors and hospitals can go in accepting gifts, gestures of friendship or endorsements from their patients. Here's a hint: It's wrong to ask patients for gifts or favors. posted by Sydney on 1/11/2004 12:49:00 PM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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