ashon Hara and Lo Ta’amod Al Dam Re’echa
Question
Shalom,
I was referred by a doctor to take a certain medication, and it caused me side effects that really interfered with my daily functioning. I went back to the doctor to ask what could be done, but she spoke to me in a very unpleasant and disrespectful way. She insisted that the side effects weren’t related to the medication, even though they’re clearly listed in the patient information leaflet, and she yelled at me that if I wanted, I could just stop the treatment, but then my original issue would come back and I’d lose all progress.
Her attitude was so harsh and humiliating that I couldn’t even have a normal conversation with her. I went to my family doctor and told him everything, and when he opened my file, he saw that she had written that I complained about side effects, and therefore she recommended stopping the treatment, which is a complete lie.
I want to file a complaint, both about the disrespectful way she treated me and about the fact that she falsified what happened, seemingly to protect herself. If not for my family doctor, I never would have known. And if, G-d forbid, something serious had happened, she could have claimed that she told me to stop the medication and that she wasn’t responsible, even though in truth, she told me to continue and said it wasn’t related to the medicine at all.
Am I allowed - or even obligated - to report this, from a halachic standpoint, in terms of lashon hara, in order to prevent harm to others? I also heard from her secretary that this kind of behavior from her isn’t rare at all, and that even she had to argue with the doctor just to get me squeezed in, because the next available appointment is only in another eight months, and I couldn’t wait that long while dealing with the side effects.
Answer
Shalom uVracha,
It is permitted to file a complaint about her behavior.
