‘Greed and corruption' plaguing troubled London, Ont. hospital, ex-doctor claims
'It was a shock, and this whole uncertainty about where we stand has created a lack of trust between the front line workers and administrative leaders,' Dr. Ian Chin-Yee told Global News.
Chin-Yee, 65, the former program head of laboratory medicine and blood transfusion laboratories at the hospital network, retired in January.
He spent 35 years of his career working for LHSC, 20 of which in leadership positions, and says the recent allegations of fraud and financial mismanagement have evoked unexpecting emotions of his time as a front line physician and health care leader 'working to improve a system in urgent need of repair.'
'Learning of the egregious allegations triggered feelings of anger and betrayal by my hospital,' he says in a letter written in response to the recent news.
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Chin-Yee says he worked alongside many dedicated health care professionals, all focused on delivering the best care the system could provide.
'We struggled to deliver and improve care within a system that is financially strained and often inefficient. We were aware of promising new technologies, tests, and therapies becoming available for our patients but whose access was often limited by lack of human resources, hospital space, and money,' he says.
Last week, officials at LHSC revealed that an audit of the hospital network's finances had revealed nearly in $60 million alleged fraud involving several former executives and board members.
The hospital network has now filed two lawsuits, which implicated five former executive team members, a contractor, and several companies that were contracted to do work.
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'The Fraudulent Scheme was a calculated, multi-year campaign of deceit and theft, deliberately engineered to misappropriate public funds for personal and unlawful gain,' the lawsuit alleges.
None of these allegations have been proven in court, but the financial fraud is under investigation by London police.
The hospital network's financial mismanagement has been in the spotlight for quite some time, with a projected operating deficit of $150-million operating deficit expected for 2025.
But as new details start to emerge, Chin-Yee says it's frustrating and makes him angry, learning more about why teams he worked to build were cut due to the financial situation at the hospital.
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He says his specific focus at the hospital was reducing unnecessary tests to introduce new tests that are more detailed and help improve patient outcomes and save the hospital money overall.
'Over five years the cost savings added up and we were proud to have saved our hospital over a million dollars. But these savings pale in comparison to the $60 million alleged fraud occurring at LHSC over the past several years,' he says.
'Yes, I am angry when the very leaders who applauded our Choosing Wisely efforts turned a blind eye to this alleged criminal activity.'
He says the repercussions of the gross mismanagement of hospital funds will ultimately lead to patients and front line workers suffering the consequences.
'We are told to tighten our belts and be 'fiscally responsible' — as if we had caused the problem, when in fact, it was greed and corruption at the top,' he remarked.
The former LHSC doctor says despite dire need, hiring was halted, departments were dismantled, existing jobs were cut, and funding for new technology was frozen leading to talented leaders were driven out.
He says in an effort to make things 'more efficient,' physicians and allied health professionals are now even more overworked, including his own former department who experienced staffing cuts while already struggling to meet demand.
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London Health Sciences Centre is one of the largest hospital networks in the province, a hub where many smaller hospitals throughout the Southwestern Ontario send patients to for specialist care.
Chin-Yee says his department would have samples flown in form other parts of the province for specialized screening that can only be done at a few places.
'The lack of human resources, I'm talking doctors, laboratory technologists, all of these things for doing this testing leads to delayed turnaround times in terms of sample results. We already struggle to meet the needed turnaround time to get the results of a biopsy so the patient can have the appropriate treatment,' he warns.
'The impact — burning out and quickly losing morale. These disruptions threaten to snuff out the embers of innovation that keep our institution moving forward,' he says.
Chin-Yee is hopeful that LHSC will enter a period of stability and working to rebuild trust, but says health care changes so quickly so it needs to happen now.
'You can't wait two or three years for stability; by then we will have fallen behind further and… these setbacks have wasted a lot time and energy, and it's urgent that administration starts working with the medical leadership so that we can make sure that patients don't suffer.'
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