DOCTORS' COLLEGE RECOMMEND DRUG ADDICTIONS BE REPORTABLE

'Significant' Number Of Physicians With Substance Abuse Problems

WOODSTOCK - The College of Surgeons and Physicians of Ontario has
recommended that doctors who have drug addictions and are considered a risk
to patients be reported, an inquest jury heard Friday.

However, the government has yet to act on the recommendation and the
college's registrar said he's hopeful the Tammy Moore-Bruce Reid inquest
will call even more attention to the issue.

"We'll certainly hear what the jury will recommend," Dr. Rocco Gerace said.

Gerace told the jury that a physician can be suspended only under very
limited circumstances - the main one being if the doctor is incompetent or
unfit to do his duties and poses a threat to patients.

He said a health-care professional with a drug addiction would be
considered unfit to work.

"If someone has a substance abuse problem then that impairs their ability
to care for patients," he explained.

In the health sector, drug addictions are considered an illness and so fall
under the same rules of confidentiality as any other illness.

Treatment, which is confidential, is also voluntary.

Gerace said felt that if a doctor receives the proper treatment and gets
past his problem, there is no need to report him.

"If someone is treated, under care and not at risk then there's not an
obligation to report," he said. "We know there are a number of physicians
under a treatment program... and we're quite comfortable that we don't know
about them.

"We don't have to know about it as long as there's appropriate treatment
for them."

But because the treatment is voluntary, doctors and physicians can choose
not to attend and that's where mandatory reporting would come in.

Part of the problem, however, is that it's no easy task to suspend a physician.

"The college may know of someone who is incompetent or incapacitated and it
may take several months to suspend them," Gerace said. "And, over the
months, a physician can deal with lots of patients and could cause harm to
lots of patients."

The college has also asked that it be able to hand out suspensions quicker.

While many doctors might cringe at the idea, a suspension does not
necessarily mean the doctor is doing anything wrong. Gerace said that it is
often simply a necessary step in an investigation.

He said the college tries to make sure there are grounds for a suspension
and investigation in every situation because a suspension is perceived as a
black mark on a doctor's record.

"We have to make some assessment of the validity of the concern."

However, he said public safety comes first.

"Our obligation is to the public, to balance in their favour."

Gerace said substance abuse in the health-care profession is a major
concern and that new rules are needed.

"There are a number of cases," he said. "I think one has to look at the
proportion of cases in relation to the number of physicians in the
province. It's a very small proportion, but there are certainly a
significant number of cases."

Tammy Moore overdosed twice using drugs taken from her home-care patients
in Sept. 2000. Doctors who treated her never reported her to the College of
Nurses because of confidentiality rules.

Her and fiance Bruce Reid were found dead on Jan. 12, 2001 having overdosed
again on drugs taken from Moore's patients.