A disgruntled physician complains of unsafe and unsanitary practices at the Kelowna hosp
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Breast cancer tests under review in B.C.
JUSTINE HUNTER Globe and Mail Update March 30
Dr. Ready could not be reached for comment on Monday but Robert Halpenny, senior medical director for Interior Health, said all the tests during that period are being re-examined. The final report is due in April but he said so far there has been no evidence that any patients were incorrectly diagnosed. The tests had previously been conducted by the BC Cancer Agency but during the period under investigation, they were conducted in Kelowna General Hospital's labs, facilities that Dr. Ready described as “filthy” and lacking clear procedures for conducting the analysis. The New Democratic Party opposition said the tests need to be investigated independently. These are serious concerns around breast cancer testing,” New Democratic Party leader Carole James said on Monday. The opposition also released a letter from Dr. Ready, written to his strata council when his listed his Kelowna property for sale, alleging “jaw-dropping” practices at the “filthy” lab. “In the worst episode that I became aware of, 19 bodies were being stored in the (Kelowna General Hospital) morgue. The cooler only held 12 bodies, required that staff rotate the bodies in and out of the cooler to slow decomposition.” In that letter, dated March 18, Dr. Ready said he terminated his contract with the health authority because of a myriad of problems that he felt put patients at risk.
Dr. Halpenny confirmed that twice in the last three years, the morgue was overcrowded but he said those conditions lasted no more than two hours. Health Minister George Abbott said patients in Interior Health should not worry: “No inaccuracies have been found.” He accused the NDP of exploiting fears after a judicial inquiry in Newfoundland found at least 386 patients received mistaken results of their breast cancer tests. At least 108 patients whose tests were misread have died as a result of the botched tests in Newfoundland, although it is not clear how many of them, if any, died as a result of a misdiagnosis. “I have been seeing in recently days an absolutely shameless and irresponsible attempt ... to try to piggyback on the tragedy that occurred in Newfoundland with respect to testing,” Mr. Abbott told the legislature. He said the Interior Health Authority “has looked very thoroughly, very comprehensively at the allegation, the concern, that was raised. They have reviewed all of the files. They have found no irregularities.” Dr. Halpenny could not say how many cases are under review, but he believes there were dozens. He expects to have a final report in the next two weeks.
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