BAD MEDICINE AT VA'S PHILLY PROSTATE CANCER UNIT

HUG ' EM

Oncologist Defends His Work at a V.A. Hospital

The panel's leader, Senator Arlen Specter, left, said the accusations were serious.

Mr. Specter prompted Dr. Kao to hug a former patient, the Rev. Ricardo Flippin, who had a radiation injury.

LIKED HIM BETTER AS A REPUBLICAN

Bradley C. Bower/Associated Press

"I did not believe our procedures were botched," said the physician, Dr. Gary D. Kao, who no longer treats patients at the veterans' hospital or its affiliated hospital run by the University of Pennsylvania. "I've always acted in the best interest of the patients."

Speaking publicly for the first time, Dr. Kao said at the hearing at the Veterans Affairs hospital here that he was not a "rogue physician" and that his academic credentials — he has a Ph.D. to go with his medical degree — and an absence of malpractice lawsuits underscored that point. He said he was voluntarily appearing before the before the committee, led by Senator Arlen Specter Democrat of Pennsylvania, to "correct some very serious false allegations in recent publications about me, most notably The New York Times."