The Nation : Bethesda Surgeon Fired
The chief heart surgeon at the Bethesda Naval Hospital outside Washington has been dismissed because of questions about his “surgical competence,” the Navy acknowledged in a prepared statement. The Navy said it had launched an investigation into the hiring of Cmdr. Donal Billig, 54, and his appointment as the hospital’s cardio-thoracic surgery department chief in 1983. The Cox News Service reported that Billig had surrendered his medical license in New Jersey when questions about his abilities were raised in 1981.
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