OVERDOSE VICTIM KNEW RISKS, DOCTOR TESTIFIES

MD Tells Inquest He Warned Client Against Using Cocaine

A doctor warned Wade Hatt he could die if he used cocaine after
ingesting an accidental overdose of methadone, a coroner's jury heard
yesterday.

But within hours of that warning, Mr. Hatt's central nervous system
shut down and he stopped breathing. A toxicologist's report showed Mr.
Hatt had taken cocaine within 24 hours of his death on Oct. 15, 2005.

Dr. Andre Moolman testified yesterday he told Mr. Hatt he was risking
death if he took more drugs following the overdose. Mr. Hatt seemed to
get the message, he said.

"He was quite clear that he would not," said Dr. Moolman, who had been
working at the Ontario Addiction Treatment Centre on Somerset Street
for less than a month at the time. The overdose happened when a nurse
mistakenly gave Mr. Hatt a methadone drink intended for his
girlfriend. It was 10 times more powerful than the dose Mr. Hatt was
supposed to take.

Yet Mr. Hatt refused to go to hospital for treatment, saying he did
not want to wait around for hours until symptoms of the overdose occurred.

"He was not afraid," said Dr. Moolman, adding Mr. Hatt told him he had
survived high dosages of methadone in the past.

Mr. Hatt seemed less worried about dying than he was of suffering
withdrawal symptoms after vomiting twice within minutes of taking the
overdose, Dr. Moolman said.

Mr. Hatt assured Dr. Moolman he would go to the emergency department
of the Queensway-Carleton Hospital at the first sign of respiratory
difficulties or "nodding off." Problems with breathing and drowsiness
are symptoms of methadone overdose. The jury heard the first peak time
for symptoms is about four hours after ingestion, which would have
been about 6:30 p.m on Friday, Oct. 14, 2005.

Dr. Moolman also testified that Mr. Hatt's girlfriend -- a drug addict
herself -- said she would watch over him during the night, rousing him
frequently to be sure he was not becoming sedated.

"She was co-operative," he said, and seemed to understand what was
expected of her.

At the time, the Somerset Street clinic was operated by a partnership
of four doctors, including Dr. Moolman and Dr. George Kolbe. They also
operated a clinic in Vanier and three others in Eastern Ontario.

Dr. Kolbe testified that relying on Mr. Hatt's girlfriend to monitor
him was "only the second-best option."

The jury heard that doctors cannot force a patient to accept
treatment, unless the patient is intoxicated or irrational because of
mental illness.

Dr. Kolbe said many drug addicts refuse to go to emergency departments
because they are treated with hostility and suspicion by hospital staff.

He also said Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres have already changed
some procedures since Mr. Hatt's death. Patients must now check the
bottle label on each dosage before drinking it to ensure their name is
on it. Patients must also sign for each dosage received.