A Powell River resident received two contradictory letters last week from Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) concerning a CT scan read by an unauthorized radiologist. The province has launched an investigation into three radiologists, including Dr. Mansukhlal Mavji (Charlie) Parmar, who had been working at Powell River General Hospital since 2002.
Powell River Brain Injury Society Executive Director Debbie Dee told the Peak that the resident who received the two letters is a client of the society. For his own privacy the man did not wish to be named. Dee explained that the man went for a CT scan last August to see whether an aortic aneurism had shrunk or grown larger. His doctor told him that the CT scan showed the aneurism had shrunk, good news at the time.
The two letters are both dated February 8 and are both signed by the same physicians. Both letters explain that his CT scan had been read by an unqualified radiologist and both assure him that VCH is doing all it can to rectify the situation. One letter states that no discrepancies were found between the two readings of his scan and that the man has no reason to worry. The other letter reads that a discrepancy has been found that “could potentially be significant.”
Dee said the man is stressed and worried about his health now and is questioning what information to trust. The man also has a brain injury and is not able to quickly make sense of problems or make plans. He is seeing his doctor tomorrow, who the man hopes will be able to make sense of his situation.
“He said ‘I don’t believe either one now and now how am I going to believe anything about the CT scans?’” said Dee. “In trying to mitigate the outcome of a problem they’ve created more of a problem.”
BC New Democratic Party interim leader Dawn Black and Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons raised questions in the legislature Monday, February 21, to Minister of Health Services Colin Hansen over the letters. Black asked for an apology from Hansen to the constituent and demanded an explanation, asking “what on earth is going on?”
“Can you imagine? Can you imagine for a minute what this patient is actually going through?” Black asked Hansen. “How is he supposed to have any confidence in his care?”
Hansen said that he was not aware of the letters, but agreed that their recipient deserved an apology from the ministry, VCH and the physicians involved. He assured that the review by BC Patient Safety and Quality Council Chair Dr. Doug Cochrane would look into questions surrounding the handling of the situation.
“I do give my full apology,” said Hansen, “and we will certainly be following up to make sure that all patients that have been involved in this get access to the medical care that they need and they deserve.”
Another Powell River resident, Christine Schreiber, was surprised to receive 16 letters regarding obstetrical ultrasounds she had in 2007 and 2008 when pregnant with twins. The letters explain that the radiologist who “read your ultrasound was not, in fact, authorized to do so” and advised that “if you have not yet delivered, please discuss with your physician.” Schreiber told Simon’s office, which forwarded the letters, that she did not have 16 ultrasounds but wonders if they sent one letter per twin. One of the letters regarded an ultrasound from April 2003. Schreiber was pregnant at the time but lived in Edmonton and never had an ultrasound in Powell River until she gave birth here in 2004.
Laura Bazille-Moser, daughter of John Moser who died in January and potentially had a CT scan misread by Parmar, has also come forward about a letter of her own concerning another CT scan read by Parmar. Her letter concerns a potentially misread CT scan from August 2010 over back problems, which have since worsened to the point that she is starting to lose feeling in her lower body. The original reading came back negative and now Bazille-Moser is having trouble trusting the health care system.
“I want those accountable to be accountable. I really do,” said Bazille-Moser. “I want the people who are accountable to come clean and actually take responsibility...whatever they have to do, do the right thing.”
Bazille-Moser said that she is considering legal action. She hopes that others affected by this situation will come together to form a class action suit.
