In what some are calling a watershed moment for the provision of healthcare in the area, five St. John’s Hospital doctors have resigned. Among the reasons listed was a dangerous workplace that risked not only patient care but their health and safety. On Monday, the notice of resignation came from the executive of the provincial health authority’s fire chief. It goes into effect on October 1, 2023. This wave of departures raises immediate alarms about the hospital’s capacity to continue providing safe, appropriate medical care.
Doctor Michael Jakovac, joined by Olatunji Odumosu, Stephanie Genge, Sanampreet Gurm, and Evan Wee, are quitting. They shared three vital and pressing areas of concern with the quality of work life. They stated that the situation has deteriorated to a point where it is “unsafe for both patient care and provider well-being.” Their counsel, Kyle Rees of O’Dea Earle, had taken the position that the doctors will no longer undertake any actions outside their contractual duties. This new provision will be implemented on July 1, 2023.
Impact of Resident Support Removal
The decision to resign comes after the recent removal of resident support at St. John’s Hospital, which has heightened the doctors’ concerns regarding patient safety. The coalition underscored the important point that resident physician coverage will cease starting July 1. Beyond that date, the hospital will be unable to accept any critical emergencies, particularly Code Blue emergencies associated with cardiac or pulmonary arrest.
In announcing their resignation, these doctors pointed to the grave dangers. When we arrived in Annapolis, they bemoaned the lack of a rudderless Code Blue team. They warned that this deficiency would lead to “disastrous patient outcomes for medical and surgical patients.” This shocking claim highlights the importance of their urgent plea for immediate action from public health agencies.
“NLHS has consistently deferred responsibility and failed to provide any substantive plan to address this impending crisis.” – [letter]
Previous Resignations and Ongoing Concerns
Today’s notice of resignation comes just a month after the dramatic exits from the hospital of two other doctors, Leonard Phair and Alex Dias. Their exits have further added to an air of uncertainty among St. John’s medical staff, a growing perception that it may not be stable long-term. The resigning doctors who unequivocally stated that they are unable to practice this way moving forward. They think it would endanger patient safety and endanger the rest of the team’s safety.
On Thursday, internal medicine teams from St. Clare’s and the Health Sciences Centre formed a collaborative. Jointly, they co-signed this letter expressing their common interests and concerns. They called for immediate answers as to how Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services will ensure safe and sustainable internal medicine coverage at St. Clare’s. This guarantee is important even further out than July 1, 2025.
“Transferring the workload to the Health Sciences Centre is also not an option.” – [letter]
The Road Ahead
The impending resignation of these five doctors will leave a critical shortage of healthcare providers at St. John’s Hospital. This is a developing story, with potentially huge implications. The physicians have good delineated their lack of availability in color short weekdays and weekends. This deal is supposed to be in place from July 1 until they choose to resign become effective.
Kyle Rees, when contacted Thursday, declined to comment on the case. He added that neither he nor his clients had distributed the resignation letter to any press.
