12 patients misdiagnosed, treatment delayed in B.C. radiology scandal
VANCOUVER — Twelve patients, including three who died, faced delayed treatment or a misdiagnosis stemming from a B.C. medical scanning scandal that occurred when four radiologists interpreted scans they were not skilled or properly trained to read,burberry outlet a report delving into the matter shows.
British Columbia Health Minister Michael de Jong apologized to patients, their families and the public Tuesday during a one-hour news conference.
“To all of these patients, and their families, I, we, are very, very sorry,” de Jong said, adding that the health system is not infallible because it is staffed by humans who can make mistakes.
Discussions about potential compensation for patients and their families is something the government will now be assessing, the minister said.
Nearly 8,000 imaging studies were re-interpreted and the minister said the 12 cases were the worst examples detected during the seven-month review headed by Dr. Doug Cochrane, chairman of the B.C. Patient Safety and Quality Council.
Cochrane, who admitted that more deaths could still occur, largely because of delayed treatment, was appointed to head the review after concerns surfaced about the quality of scans interpreted by radiologists practising in Powell River, Comox and the Fraser Valley.
Nine of the 12 cases occurred within the Vancouver Coastal Health region and three of the four radiologists are no longer working in B.C.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C., whose mandate it is to license doctors after checking their credentials, has shared information with doctors’ licensing authorities across Canada, to let them know about the events. The fourth is still working in B.C., but within his realm of expertise, de Jong said, without revealing the doctor’s whereabouts.
The health minister said it has become clear that the college, health authorities and hospitals have to collaborate more effectively to safeguard patients and improve the system by which doctors are licensed, credentialed and given privileges.
A new peer-review system for radiologists will be launched, starting with immediate action to enhance the oversight of radiologists who have recently been granted privileges to work in hospitals and other clinics, including “locums” who are filling in for doctors on holidays or those who are working with provisional licenses because they have not yet passed the standardized Canadian exams.
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