State health officials are being grilled Thursday about why they didn?t stop a Plainview doctor who may have infected hundreds of patients with harmful diseases.

State Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City) called for the hearing after patients at two Nassau health clinics received letters that they may have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis. Health officials say Dr. Harvey Finkelstein, of Plainview, improperly used syringes on patients. According to health officials, at least six patients tested positive for hepatitis B and another six tested positive for hepatitis C.

At the hearing, State Health Commissioner Richard Daines said when the first of two patients tested positive for hepatitis, health officials immediately told Finkelstein to stop using syringes in multiple doses. According to Daines, state health officials also went back to check that Finkelstein was complying. Daines said it took a while for all patients to be notified due to lab testing.

Hannon says the state took too long to notify patients. He feels the state health department needs to fix the way it notifies and protect patients.

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