Island Health disputes B.C. doctor's claims that suspension is in retaliation to public criticism
Island Health disputes B.C. doctor's claims that suspension is in retaliation to public criticism
A Port Hardy, B.C., doctor has been temporarily barred from practicing emergency medicine in the Island Health region.
Dr. Alex Nataros had his ER privileges suspended on Feb. 2 the same day he publicly called for the resignation of a senior Island Health leader.
Nataros claims Island Health is trying to muzzle him and sully his reputation, while the health authority says his suspension stems from concerns over patient safety.
Nataros says his suspension has other doctors scrambling to staff the two emergency departments that he works at in Port Hardy and Salt Spring Island, B.C.
"It is undeserved, it is cruel, it is having significant personal and professional ramifications on my life as a physician [who] just wants to provide care to my patients," he told CTV News on Wednesday.
CTV News asked B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix if Nataros was being disciplined for being critical of the health system.
"No, that would never happen," said Dix.
In a rare move, Island Health's chief medical health officer, Dr. Ben Williams, addressed the employee matter.
"Because of Dr. Nataros' misleading statements, because he has made this issue public in a very false way, I have to provide this information to you," he told CTV News.
He says the suspension comes as Island Health investigates a patient complaint, and after it had received concerns from other members of the local care team about patient safety.
Williams also says his decision to suspend Nataros' emergency department privileges was made before he was aware that the North Island doctor was calling for his resignation, and that it did not influence the matter.
Nataros says he believes the patient complaint was "coerced" and written by an Island Health official.
Island Health denies that claim, and Nataros says he has hired a lawyer and will speak publicly about the matter again on Friday in Victoria.
As for the hole left in the emergency department in Port Hardy, Island Health says all shifts that Nataros was scheduled to work have been filled by other physicians.
While the root of exactly what happened remains unclear, the result is one less doctor working in emergency medicine in the North Island in an already short-staffed system.
Island Health says Nataros' suspension is in effect until a full investigation into the patient safety complaint is completed.
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
The parents of young Ontario hockey player Ben Teague have been searching for answers since he died while at a team retreat in 2019. The mystery about what happened and the code of silence in hockey culture is explored in CTV W5's 'What Happened to Ben,' on CTVNews.ca and W5's official YouTube channel.
In an effort to keep the foreign interference story at the forefront, and to do an apparent end run around the Liberal filibuster blocking one study from going ahead, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has forced the House to spend the day debating a motion instructing an opposition-dominated House committee to strike its own review.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's calls for protests ahead of his anticipated indictment in New York have generated mostly muted reactions from supporters, with even some of his most ardent loyalists dismissing the idea as a waste of time or a law enforcement trap.
Officials are still looking for victims after a fire ripped through a building in Old Montreal last week, killing at least one person. At a press conference Monday morning, spokespersons for the Montreal police and Montreal fire department said six people are still missing. They come from various locations in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S.
Some of the world's largest central banks came together on Sunday to stop a banking crisis from spreading as Swiss authorities persuaded UBS Group AG to buy rival Credit Suisse Group AG in a historic deal.
A vehicle burst into flames in South Vancouver after an early morning collision Monday, prompting police to shut down the intersection at Kingsway and Tyne Street amid an investigation.
People who rely on transit to get around parts of the Fraser Valley are scrambling to find alternatives as workers with BC Transit walk the picket line.
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
Autopsies confirmed gunshot wounds as the cause of death for two constables responding to a domestic dispute Thursday, the Edmonton Police Service says.
Ontario employers who withhold foreign workers’ passports or work permits could face steeper penalties under new labour laws, with maximum fines setting them back up to $200,000.
An 11-year-old boy was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition after being struck by a vehicle in the northwest Calgary neighbourhood of Royal Oak.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Health Minister Jason Copping will give an update on the effort to import and distribute children's pain and fever medicine Monday afternoon.
The Town of Strathmore and Siksika Nation hosted the first Lead By Example Powwow this weekend in honour of a young Indigenous man who was shot to death four years ago.
Officials are still looking for victims after a fire ripped through a building in Old Montreal last week, killing at least one person. At a press conference Monday morning, spokespersons for the Montreal police and Montreal fire department said six people are still missing. They come from various locations in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S.
Quebec provincial police (SQ) announced Monday morning that a third person has died in connection with the tragedy in Amqui, in the Lower St. Lawrence region, where a driver drove his pickup truck into pedestrians a week ago.
Police in Halifax say three people have been stabbed and a student is in custody following a weapons complaint at a high school in Bedford, N.S. The victims were taken to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries is not yet known.
The University of Prince Edward Island Faculty Association says its staff has gone on strike after what it says are failed attempts to enter additional negotiations with the university's administration.
The student union president at Cape Breton University said food insecurity has become a concern for many students and the on-campus food bank cannot keep up with demand.
Humanity still has a chance, close to the last, to prevent the worst of climate change 's future harms, a top United Nations panel of scientists said Monday.
A community is in mourning after a 10-year-old girl was killed earlier this week when flames tore through her family’s camping trailer southeast of Brantford.
Waterloo regional police say they arrested nine people for impaired driving over the course of nine hours between 6:30 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day and 3:30 a.m. on March 18.
Some residents of Saskatchewan's capital city have been vocal with their disapproval of Tourism Regina's latest rebrand, prompting an apology from the organization.
Police say they found the accused had been driving while under suspension and had an open liquor container in the vehicle, adding to the number of charges he faces.
According to officers with the Huronia West OPP detachment, a search of the vehicle turned up a "substantial amount" of suspected drugs with a street value of roughly $20,000.
Some residents of Saskatchewan's capital city have been vocal with their disapproval of Tourism Regina's latest rebrand, prompting an apology from the organization.
A 46-year-old man has been taken to hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries after a single-vehicle crash on MR80 near Donaldson Crescent in Val Caron.
