Moncton doctors protest 'fishy' suspension

Doctors at the Dr. Georges-L Dumont Regional Hospital in Moncton are demanding that one of their colleagues be reinstated after he was suspended.

Vitalité Health Network, which was formally known as Regional Health Authority A, suspended Dr. Richard Garceau, a microbiolgoist and an infectious diseases specialist, four weeks ago.

A health authority spokeswoman wouldn't confirm the identity of the suspended doctor but said the issue was a personnel matter and patient care was not affected.

Garceau's colleagues held a news conference on Thursday to say Garceau is being unfairly treated.

Dr. Leo Picard, the former chief of staff for the health authority, said none of the procedures to suspend a doctor were followed.

For instance, Picard said the authority's administration has shown no evidence that Garceau was incompetent or was violent, which could be two reasons to suspend a physician.

'We don't know why he was suspended. It looks fishy that he was suspended a few weeks after he did something but it's just, I don't know more than that.' — Dr. Leo Picard

"We don't know exactly why Dr. Garceau has been suspended," Picard said.

"The reason is not clear at all, but we know he has hundreds of patients a week he doesn't see [because of the suspension]. We know that those patients are in hot water because they have serious infections."

Some of Garceau's caseload is being handled over the phone by a doctor in Chicoutimi, Que.

Picard said Garceau's colleagues are not sure why he was suspended.

"We're totally in the dark," Picard said.

"We don't know why he was suspended. It looks fishy that he was suspended a few weeks after he did something but it's just, I don't know more than that."

Picard said 158 of the hospital's 160 doctors all passed a resolution supporting Garceau.

Outspoken doctor

Picard said Garceau was one of several doctors who spoke out in May against the way the health authority was managed.

According to minutes from a meeting, Garceau said doctors were frustrated with the Moncton hospital and accused management of mismanaging the hospital.

Garceau also spoke out in April 2009 saying that New Brunswick was not prepared for a swine flu pandemic.

In an interview at the time, Garceau said his microbiology laboratory won't be able to handle an increased caseload if there was a full-blown pandemic. He also criticized the health department for not properly planning for a potential pandemic.

Dr. Gabriel Girouard said doctors are being intimidated now after seeing what happened to Garceau.

"Yes, we are afraid of speaking out about this because who is the next doctor that will, like Dr. Garceau, tell what he thinks is not correct in the hospital and is there a possibility of this doctor being suspended," Girouard said.

Andree Robichaud, the chief executive officer of the health network, said the suspension has nothing to do with any public comments made by Garceau.