Prison doctor resigns after lawsuit with amputee is settled

10-13-17 Georgia:

Two weeks after Georgia agreed to pay $550,000 to a diabetic inmate who lost his leg, the prison doctor responsible for his treatment has informed her supervisor that she will resign.

Dr. Chiquita Fye will leave her position as medical director at Macon State Prison by the end of the month, according to an Oct. 1 letter she wrote to Dr. Billy Nichols, the medical director for Georgia Correctional HealthCare.

Fye’s letter gave no reason for her resignation, but it follows the state’s decision in September to settle the lawsuit filed by convicted murderer Michael Tarver alleging that his amputation was due to the doctor’s neglect. The settlement was reached a week before the case, in which Fye was the lone defendant, was scheduled for trial in federal court in Macon.

Fye’s decision also follows an Atlanta Journal-Constitution story that cited depositions and interviews in which six former healthcare workers at the prison contended that the Emory-trained physician at times withheld critical care because of her disdain for criminals. ..Continued..