Can cope with resigning cancer docs: N.L. health minister
04.08.2008 16:00
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
 Health Minister Ross Wiseman said his government will recruit new gynecologic oncologists if it needs to do so. (CBC)Newfoundland and Labrador's health minister is not deeply troubled by threatened resignations of all the province's gynecologic oncologists. Three specialists who treat women with cancers of the reproductive system have informed the Eastern Health regional authority that they intend to resign in October. Doctors Cathy Popadiuk, Lesa Dawson and Patti Power, who have not yet commented publicly on their decision, have said that workloads are threatening patient safety. They also decided to leave for what has been described as a lack of respect in their workplace. Health Minister Ross Wiseman, though, said he is not prepared to enter new negotiations involving a specific set of doctors, especially when the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association's master agreement expires next year. "In April, we'll be talking about those as they surface," Wiseman said. "We're not in a position to take, in the medical community, every single discipline and [deal] with unique circumstances and one-offs. [That's] the whole idea of having a collective agreement, for all bodies and all groups within that organization." The Newfoundland and Labrador government announced in May a massive pay increase for pathologists, and medical and radiation oncologists. The deal, which Wiseman said followed a special appeal from the NLMA about threatened resignations from specialists who treat breast cancer patients, angered the NLMA and other doctors, as it was unilaterally imposed and unfair to other specialists. Meanwhile, Wiseman said Newfoundland and Labrador will recruit new gynecologic oncologists if Popadiuk, Dawson and Power leave the province. Specialists hard to come byNLMA president Dr. Elizabeth Callahan, though, said that will be difficult, as there are only 50 such specialists in the country, and only three new specialists are poised to enter the Canadian system this year. Callahan said the government may have no choice but to fly patients with cervical, ovarian or other cancers out of the province for treatment. Wiseman said the government is prepared for such a consequence. "These are a variety of options that we are willing to explore." The doctors and the NLMA say their concerns were brought to the government in March. However, Wiseman said government was not told about the gynecologic oncologists' complaints until a meeting in June, after the pay package was announced for other oncologists. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksYOUR VIEW: Tell us your stories of receiving medical treatment away from your hometownCancer resignations alarming, advocates argue3 cancer doctors in St. John's submit resignationsAudio Mark Quinn interviews Health Minister Ross Wiseman (Runs: 5:57) Play: Real Media »Health HeadlinesDo you want calories with that?Parents looking for healthy meal choices for their children are likely to find slim pickings on the menus of the top U.S. restaurant chains, according to a report released Monday by a nonprofit public health group.Rate of new HIV infections worse than thought, U.S. officials sayThe number of Americans infected by the virus that causes AIDS each year is much higher than the government previously estimated, U.S. health officials say.Estrogen can impair memory, behaviour: studyChronic exposure to estrogen can impair memory, U.S. researchers report.First double arm transplant goes well: German doctorsA German farmer who lost both his arms in an accident has been successfully fitted with two new limbs in what is believed to be the first complete double arm transplant, his surgeons said Friday.Anti-smoking group has mixed feelings about Big Tobacco finesA prominent anti-tobacco group says it's simultaneously pleased and disappointed by the huge fines levied against two of Canada's largest tobacco companies. Health FeaturesIN DEPTHPhthalatesAre chemicals that make plastic bendy a health hazard?AIDS RESEARCHLife expectancyBig jump in survival rates for those on HIV drugsIN DEPTHNanotechnologyReally, really small stuff that's really big. But is it safe?ANOTHER VIEWDrugs and drivingNew law a 'positive step', analyst saysHEALTH & FITNESSPeter HadzipetrosBreaking up's not that hard to doPeople who read this also read …
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