Latest news with #CollegeOfPhysiciansAndSurgeons
CBC
17-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
B.C. minister praises recruitment of health-care workers from U.S., with 780 applications in 2 months
British Columbia's health minister says the province has received almost 780 job applications from qualified American health professionals as part of its recruitment campaign. Josie Osborne says more than 2,250 doctors, nurses and other health professionals have signed up for webinars and expressed interest in working in B.C. since March. Bylaw changes implemented by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. this month mean U.S.-trained doctors can become fully licensed in B.C. without further assessment if they hold certifications from various American medical boards. Osborne says that means Canadian doctors trained in the U.S. can "come home" and the path also becomes easier for American physicians. The minister says the college is also considering more changes that would give internationally trained physicians a pathway to practise, if they completed a minimum of two years of postgraduate training in family medicine in the U.S., Australia, United Kingdom or Ireland. It would also make it simpler if they have completed postgraduate training and received certification in certain specialties from Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, the U.K. or Ireland. A statement from B.C.'s Ministry of Health says of the 780 job applications received between May and June, 181 are for Interior Health, 154 for Fraser Health and 121 for Vancouver Coastal Health.
CTV News
16-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
B.C. health minister praises U.S. recruitment, says 780 applications in 2 months
B.C. Minister of Health Josie Osborne in a file photo in Burnaby, B.C., on Monday, June 10, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck VANCOUVER — British Columbia's health minister says the province has received almost 780 job applications from qualified American health professionals as part of its recruitment campaign. Josie Osborne says more than 2,250 doctors, nurses and other health professionals have signed up for webinars and expressed interest in working in B.C. since March. Bylaw changes implemented by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. this month mean U.S.-trained doctors can become fully licensed in B.C., without further assessment if they hold certifications from various American medical boards. Osborne says that means Canadian doctors trained in the U.S. can 'come home' and the path also becomes easier for American physicians. The minister says the college is also considering more changes that would give internationally trained physicians a pathway to practise, if they completed a minimum of two years of postgraduate training in family medicine in the United States, Australia, United Kingdom or Ireland. It would also make it simpler if they have completed postgraduate training and certification in certain specialties from Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, the U.K. or Ireland. A statement from the Health Ministry says of the 780 job applications received between May and June, 181 are for Interior Health, 154 for Fraser Health and 121 for Vancouver Coastal Health. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 16, 2025.
CBC
15-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
Fredericton psychiatrist risks losing licence after not contesting misconduct allegations
Social Sharing A Fredericton psychiatrist could permanently lose his medical licence after choosing not to contest allegations of sexual misconduct at a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday morning. Dr. Manoj Bhargava was presented with sanctions by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick for several long-standing complaints. Bhargava worked at the University of New Brunswick student health centre, and was suspended by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick in November 2020 after several complaints of inappropriate touching were filed. At his disciplinary hearing, the college's lawyer, Joël Michaud, described the allegations against Bhargava. They were based on complaints made by 20 individuals, whose identities are protected by a publication ban. The statement said Bhargava committed unprofessional misconduct taking heart rate and blood pressure measurements that were "inconsistent with the standards of the profession" outlined by the College of Physicians and Surgeons. It said Bhargava also made comments, asked questions and made requests that were not consistent with the standards of the profession. According to the statement, Bhargava "treated all complainants in a manner that could reasonably be perceived by members as being disgraceful, dishonorable and unprofessional." None of the allegations have been proven in court. The lawyers for the college and Bhargava jointly recommended sanctions to revoke his licence and remove his name from the register. Fredericton psychiatrist doesn't fight sexual misconduct allegations 32 minutes ago It said Bhargava should never seek another licence in New Brunswick, and that he pay $5,000 to cover legal fees. Bhargava joined the meeting with his lawyer Sacha Morisset, who said he had no questions to add to the uncontested evidence or the sanctions. Bhargava did not speak at the hearing. The board of inquiry, composed of three doctors, will go through the submission and will make a written decision in the "very near future." Four civil lawsuits filed against Bhargava Meanwhile, Barghava's legal issues continue to play out in the court with the filing of new lawsuits. Monday afternoon, lawyer Basia Sowinski from the firm Valent Legal, filed four individual lawsuits, listing the University of New Brunswick and Bhargava as defendants in all four cases. She said the timing was coincidental with the disciplinary hearing. In April 2023, lawyers from the same firm discontinued a class-action lawsuit. It alleged that UNB didn't take appropriate steps to ensure the plaintiffs were not subjected to such acts, and that UNB was vicariously liable for the sexual assaults allegedly perpetrated by Bhargava. At the time, the firm said it would file a mass-tort lawsuit, which would allow plaintiffs to include those varying claims about where Bhargava allegedly assaulted them. The firm has now decided to pivot to individual lawsuits. Sowinski said the mass-tort lawsuit wasn't ideal for plaintiffs. "It's not really necessary to litigate it as a mass tort, but rather we just filed a separate lawsuit for them," she said. CBC is not naming the plaintiffs in the lawsuits because their cases involve allegations of sexual assault. In a draft of the one of the lawsuits provided by Sowinski, the allegations against Bhargava include medical negligence and sexual assault. "The Plaintiff alleges the Defendant Bhargava requested she wear loose clothing, or remove articles of clothing, so that her heart rate and/or blood pressure could be obtained." The lawsuit is also against UNB and alleges negligence and vicarious liability. Sowinski said the legal process has been "a pretty long road" for the plaintiffs. "I'm happy to help represent them and support them on the civil side of things to get a sense of justice for them."
CBC
12-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
Change will help ensure serious complaints about Manitoba doctors are handled quickly: regulator
Social Sharing The regulator for doctors in Manitoba says it has a new triage system for complaints about its members that will let it respond to the most serious cases faster. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba says its newly implemented analytics unit will help it determine what course of action is needed on complaints as soon as they come in. "That way, we can pick out when we're seeing complaints that are really, really serious, and act on them really quickly," said Dr. Guillaume Poliquin, assistant registrar of complaints and investigations for the college, which self-regulates the medical profession in Manitoba. Under the new analytics process implemented on July 7, "once we receive that concern, it will be screened, and then it will come to me for initial review," Poliquin told guest host Faith Fundal in a Thursday interview with CBC's Information Radio. "If it's something that sounds … serious, like a boundary violation, then we essentially drop all we're doing and focus on that." Previously, when the college received complaints about a physician, it would determine the "best process for resolution" and "send it down that path," with the analysis happening after the fact — which could prove problematic, Poliquin said. "Because once you get into the details of a case, you can find out, 'Oh, the complaint was about the wrong doctor,'" or "the concern that was brought forward, which sounded OK … was actually really, really serious, and we should have acted on this sooner," he said. Poliquin spoke to CBC after confirming the college is "engaged" with Birchwood Medical Clinic in Winnipeg, following complaints about a family doctor working there. CBC spoke to 11 former and current patients and staff members of Dr. Christina Winogrodzka, who described different versions of the same themes, including delays in accessing medical records needed for either disability benefits or medical referrals, and delays in accessing medical results because, they allege, they were lost. One former patient told CBC that years ago, she'd tried to complain to the College of Physicians and Surgeons about Winogrodzka, but changed her mind after she was cautioned by the college that she'd have a hard time finding a new general practitioner. Other patients of Winogrodzka echoed those concerns, saying they too feared they would lose access to a family doctor if they complained. 'Power imbalance' The college recognizes "it's a really significant concern," Poliquin said. "I have a lot of sympathy and empathy for people who feel that power imbalance." The college has a directive in place that states no one should lose their family doctor because they've made a complaint, "and we do enforce that," he said. He expanded on that in a followup written statement. "If we receive a report that a physician has breached those expectations, this may result in an investigation into professional misconduct being added to the overall review," he wrote. Last month, Helena Friesen — the former patient who had earlier tried to complain about Winogrodzka — submitted a new complaint to the college. Christine Edwards, a former employee of Winogrodzka's, filed a separate complaint about the doctor with the college last month. The college confirmed as a result, it is "engaged" with the clinic, but would not provide further details.
