you just never know...

in the news of late is the story of a 2 year old boy who allegedly contracted a fatal infection from alcohol wipes manufactured by Triad. 

that may be the case, or not, but that particular wipe was in use at the hospital where i work and at hospitals across the country i suspect.  hospitals, any business trying to watch the bottom line are wont to procure needed services from the lowest bidder. while that is a solid business practice i'm sure, perhaps not a good decision in this case. however, saying that unfairly shifts the blame to the buyer and away from the provider.  law suits will most assuredly be in the offing.

the Triad wipes were removed from use at my work as soon as the recall was announced.  nurses are creatures of habit and it was a major pain implementing the alternate plan until another brand of wipes could be had. old school ain't all it's cracked up to be.

is it fair to lay this catastrophe at the feet of the lowest bidder practice?  would purchasing wipes from the next lowest bidder, or the highest bidder for that matter, be a guarantee that their wipes would be sterile? whatever the case, products are purchased in good faith.

the bottom line is that hospitals, anyone in business for that matter, depend on their suppliers to deliver their product as represented. if the rebar going into the 110th floor of the WTC was presented as being of a certain spec, if the wipes supplied to a hospital are said to be sterile, that construction company, that hospital expects that the product will be delivered as promised. in most cases it is.  

you just never know...