A man with a severe back injury claimed an insurance company is trying to "dictate'' his doctor in an attempt to squirm out of footing the bill for expensive surgery.

The man, who did not wish to be named, said his doctor, Chaikou Bah, diagnosed a degenerated spinal disc and recommended that he be sent overseas to get the disc removed since no one in Bermuda specialised in spinal surgery. The father-of-three works as a carpenter and has not been able to work since June because of his back problem.

And he said the clock was ticking for him getting his health back in order since the insurance company gave 26 weeks paid sick leave -- after which he would be left with no income.

Dr. Bah is currently involved in legal action against King Edward VII Memorial Hospital after being banned from performing operations over a qualifications dispute although he is still licensed and runs a private practice.

But the man said his insurance company was using the hospital's suspension only when it was profitable for them -- because even though BF&M did not recognise Dr. Bah as a specialist, the company would still pay for visits to his office. "The insurance company is not acknowledging him as a specialist so they're not accepting his referral -- but the fact remains that he is licensed here as a specialist,'' he said.

"It should be one way or the other, but they're more or less trying to dictate to me who to go to -- after I already had a second opinion from some of the best doctors in the world.

"I have confidence in my doctor, and nothing has been legally resolved yet -- it's really the hospital's word against his.

"But all my X-rays, CAT scans and discograms were sent to Johns Hopkins, which has some of the best doctors in the world, and they pretty much gave me the same opinion he gave me.

"By not accepting my doctor's referral, they've got my life on hold,'' he added.

The man said despite the opinion given by the doctors at Johns Hopkins, BF&M told him to go to another doctor to get another opinion. When he did so, it was suggested that he get an epidural injection to alleviate the pain -- a medical opinion that the man dismissed as a temporary solution to a permanent injury.

"I don't want to get the epidural because it's just a band-aid treatment -- it numbs the pain for a certain period of time and then it wears off,'' he said.

"It's not going to heal my problem, and that's a fact...I'm left in limbo now because the new doctor says unless I get the epidural, he won't refer me,'' he added. And the man was concerned that getting the epidural could result in more damage to his back because he would not know if the problem was getting worse until the pain-killer wore off.

"My disc has degenerated to the point where it needs to be removed and when the pain comes, it pushes out into whatever nerve it's hitting,'' he said.

"It's curtailed my travelling, because I feel it when flying or driving for long periods of time -- but that's not the problem, the problem is getting it fixed.

"I'm on the verge of having no income -- carpentry is my livelihood -- and I still have nothing to fix my problem,'' he added.

The man said the surgery he needed was very expensive -- costing in the region of $40,000 to $50,000. But he said that it was the responsibility of insurance companies to provide the coverage when it was needed.

"I know it's expensive, but that's why we have insurance -- they are obligated as my insurance company to insure me and they can't get way from it.

"If I have to take legal action, it might have to go that route,'' he added.

BF&M Executive vice-president of operations Judy Panchaud-White did not return repeated calls.

HEALTH HTH