Surgeon accused of hastening death to collect organs

A San Francisco physician has been charged with a particularly nasty offense--that he gave excessive medications to a patient to speed his death and collect his organs for transplant use. If convicted, physician Hootan Roozrokh could face up to eight years in state prison, or one year in jail and a $20,000 fine. Roozrokh also faces a civil suit filed by the patient's family.

Prosecutors in San Luis Obispo County contend Roozrokh gave 26-year-old disabled patient Ruben Navarro overdoses of morphine and Ativan to accelerate his demise. Navarro, who died in 2006, didn't end up providing any organs for transplant, because he didn't die within 30 minutes after life support was removed.

To find out more about the case:
- read this Modern Healthcare article
- read this piece from The Tribune of San Luis Obispo

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