The Final Diagnosis – Arthur Hailey (Ukrainian Hardcover, 2024)

The Final Diagnosis by Arthur Hailey is a gripping medical drama that exposes the inner workings of a hospital caught between innovation and tradition. When Kent O’Donnell takes charge of the surgical department in a small-town hospital, he envisions modernization—bringing in new methods, research, and a forward-looking approach to patient care. But his greatest obstacle is Joe Pearson, the aging, influential pathologist who clings to outdated practices and refuses to step aside.

As power struggles unfold, lives hang in the balance. Pearson’s authority over autopsies and final diagnoses creates a dangerous bottleneck that jeopardizes reform. O’Donnell, driven by duty and ethics, must challenge the old guard in a clash that embodies the eternal conflict between progress and inertia, science and ego, healing and bureaucracy.

Arthur Hailey, renowned for his authentic research and suspenseful storytelling, crafts a novel that is both an intimate human drama and a systemic critique of medical institutions. The Final Diagnosis explores themes of professional rivalry, moral dilemmas, and the human cost of institutional stagnation. Its blend of realism and tension makes it a timeless classic in hospital literature.

The Ukrainian hardcover edition, published by KSD (Klub Sімейного Дозвілля) in 2024, contains 448 pages, format 135 × 205 mm, weighing around 366 g, translated by Vitalii Rakulenko. A must-read for fans of medical thrillers, ethical dramas, and character-driven fiction.