Neal calls out-of-state surgery ‘lack of trust’

Erin Neff

Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2002 | 9:31 a.m.

Gov. Kenny Guinn's decision to go out of state for prostate surgery is not unprecedented, yet his general election opponent thinks it shows a lack of faith in Nevada's health care system.

State Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, who is considered a long shot to beat the Republican incumbent on Nov. 5, said he thought Guinn could have found decent care in state.

"I do have some concerns that he's not able to trust the doctors here," Neal said. "That only speaks to his lack of trust."

Guinn consulted with both his family physician, Dr. Sara Smith, and a specialist, Dr. Ranjit Jain, in Las Vegas before opting for surgery at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Jain and Las Vegas Dr. Ikram Kahn, who worked closely with Guinn during the height of the medical malpractice crisis, were in the operating room Monday morning when UCLA Urology Department Chairman, Dr. Jean B. deKernion, performed a two-hour surgery to remove the governor's prostate.

Dr. John Ellerton, an oncologist and chief of staff at University Medical Center, said although Las Vegas has "fine doctors," each patient must make his or her own medical decisions.

"You have to look at this as the governor is the patient," said Ellerton, a Democrat running for Assembly District 5. "I prefer to look at it as he's a patient.

"It's the kind of choice you would make, or I would make," Ellerton added.

Former Gov. Bob Miller also left the state for prostate surgery, opting for Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, when he was the state's chief executive.

Other well-known health issues involving politicians also resulted in out-of-state care with then-Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones seeking treatment in California for breast cancer, and then-Congresswoman Barbara Vucanovich undergoing surgery for breast cancer in Washington.

Both Miller and Jones were out of the state Monday traveling and were unavailable for comment.

Neal said he thought Guinn's decision, however, only makes it more difficult to support Nevada's medical school, an institution associated with the University of Nevada, Reno and involved in UMC in Las Vegas.

"We're going to have to work toward creating those specialists so people don't have to go out of state," Neal said. "That will start by making gaming pay its fair share and result in more money for the medical school that improves the health care system."

Those who work closely with Guinn said they knew he had opted for the radical surgery option to treat his prostate cancer, but they were not aware when he would have the operation.

Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, said that while Guinn did not consult him about the surgery, he said he had "no problem" with him going out of state for the procedure.