Decade after hepatitis outbreak, medical registry might end

By HOLLY RAMER
Associated Press

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A decade after New Hampshire stopped a traveling medical technician who had been stealing drugs and infecting patients with hepatitis C, the Legislature might eliminate a registration system aimed at preventing similar misconduct. New Hampshire created the Board of Registration for Medical Technicians in response to David Kwiatkowski, who is serving 39 years in prison for replacing painkillers with saline-filled syringes tainted with his blood. The House recently passed a bill that would eliminate the board. The bill’s supporters say the board creates unnecessary bureaucracy at a time when health care facilities are struggling to hire workers.