Doctors watchdog must do more to protect patients

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/02/2023 (1022 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There is one thing Manitoba’s physician watchdog could do immediately to better protect patients from abusive and incompetent doctors: force all red-flagged physicians to inform patients directly about their licence restrictions.

Shockingly, that’s rarely done.

There are at least two dozen doctors with conditions on their medical practices, according to a Winnipeg Free Press review of hundreds of profiles published online by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba. Most are not required to inform patients about them.

A series of Free Press investigations into how the college handles misconduct has exposed a system that often appears to favour the protection of doctors over the safety and well-being of patients, who are frequently left in the dark about wrongdoing and are usually not informed about remedial action taken by the college.

While offending physicians are sometimes required to post signage where they practise outlining their restrictions, it appears most are not.

For example, Dr. Maged Saad Naguib Ghebrial, who practices at the Ray of Hope Medical Centre in Winnipeg, must have a female attendant present at all times when conducting breast or pelvic examinations of female patients. According to his profile on the college’s website, there is no requirement for him to post that restriction at the clinic where he works, or to inform patients. There is no other information on Ghebrial’s physician profile that provides background information about the restriction.

The same goes for Dr. Wenaida Waduge Chamindra Pasan Labiyaratne, who practises at the Millenium Medical Centre in Winnipeg. He must have a female attendant present as a chaperone at all times when conducting breast or pelvic examinations on females, according to his practitioner profile. However, there is no requirement listed that he inform patients of that restriction.

Some doctors are subject to the signage condition. Dr. Earl Minuk, a well-known dermatologist in Winnipeg, must have a female attendant present as a chaperone “for any encounter with a female patient.” He must also post “conspicuous signage” in his office reception informing patients of that requirement, according to his physician profile.

That should be a rule for all physicians who are red-flagged. In fact, the college should go a step further and mandate that all doctors with restrictions communicate them directly to patients.

There is precedent for that. Dr. Marvin Slutchuk — who practises at the Lakewood Medical Centre in Winnipeg — is required to inform female patients that he is prohibited from performing pelvic or breast examinations.

Slutchuk, who has a long list of restrictions on his practice (he was found guilty by the college in the past of improper conduct with patients, including having sex with some of them) is also subject to random audits of his practice by the college.

That appears to be the exception. Most doctors with restrictions on their licences are either not required to post signage or inform their patients directly about the limits on their practices.

Restrictions range from doctors who can only practise under supervision (or are limited to practise within certain health facilities or geographical locations) to doctors who are prohibited from performing certain procedures, such as circumcisions to doctors banned from prescribing some medications. The restrictions are listed on the college’s online physician profile (which most patients wouldn’t likely be aware of), but there is usually no requirement to communicate them directly to patients.

That needs to change.

A spokesperson for the college says “conspicuous signage” for doctors who require chaperones are always mandatory when they are ordered by an inquiry panel or investigative committee. However, that doesn’t explain why the requirement is often not included on the college’s online practitioner profile for the public to see.

The college also says it doesn’t know how many doctors have restrictions on their licences, because conditions can be imposed for many reasons, including on doctors working towards full registration. That should also change. A list of all doctors with conditions on their licences should be published annually by the college with details about the nature and reason for those restrictions.

It’s the least the college could do to show they put patient safety and well-being ahead of all else.

» Tom has been covering Manitoba politics since the early 1990s and joined the Winnipeg Free Press news team in 2019.