THE word "iatrogenic" isn’t used very much in general conversation. It’s a medical term, basically meaning something induced in a patient by a physician’s activity, manner or therapy. That’s from the American Heritage Medical Dictionary, and we were reminded of the term as we read through Guam Memorial Hospital Authority Administrator Joseph Verga’s statement yesterday about the recent deaths of two GMH patients.

The families of Joaquin S.N. Crisostomo and Karen Kittel, both deceased, are questioning the quality and appropriateness of the care given to their relatives by GMH. Crisosotomo died Oct. 21, a little over a week after being admitted for the flu. Kittel died Sept. 25 after undergoing three surgeries.

Verga, in his statement, emphatically says they died “as a result of natural causes. Their deaths were not ‘suspicious’ or preventable.” The families basically are not buying it, and are calling for a candlelight vigil outside GMH tomorrow at 7 p.m. They are inviting anybody else in the community who feels GMH did not properly care for their relatives, or themselves.

They might attract quite a crowd. Certainly there are a lot of anecdotes around about the treatment and care given in our only civilian hospital. Kittel says the vigil was inspired by the Indian pacifist Mahatma Gandhi’s principle of Satyagraya, which is based on truth and non-violence.

The truth has always been a bit elusive whenever we’ve tried to dig into incidents at the hospital. Nobody argues with the administrator’s assertion that “sometimes, despite the heroic efforts of our dedicated and compassionate staff, people pass away.” GMH is a hospital, after all, and nobody goes there unless there’s something wrong with them.

On the other hand, families are sometimes justified in questioning the treatment their loved ones received. Mistakes do happen. That’s what that word – iatrogenic – means, and it can be applied to medical institutions as well as to individual physicians.

But rare is the situation where GMH admits fault. Lawsuits are likely if they do, so the hospital goes to great lengths to protect their people. The hospital does negotiate settlements, however, sometimes for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Whenever they do agree to such settlements, parties on both sides are enjoined from making any public comment about the terms.

In order to determine the truth, family members need to demand information, not merely accept a public statement from the CEO. The hospital cannot, by law, give out personal medical information about patients. But if a peer review was conducted, the findings should be accessible to the families. If they are able to get the results and documents, they just might find that word, iatrogenic. GMH, and individual practitioners, have admitted to as much occasionally in the past.

We’re not suggesting any such mistakes in either of these recently publicized situations, but the families should not just accept public assurances from the hospital. If they truly believe the deaths of their loved ones were wrongful, they should hire a good lawyer.