PUBLISHER'S VIEW: The failure of the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children to take firm immediate action against the administrators of Motherisk brings to mind the hospital's failure several years earlier to take any administrative action against former hospital staff member Charles Smith in spite of serious threats that he posed to the hospital's young patients. From that point of view, it is apparent that little has changed at the supposedly world class institution. The hospital's gross failure to get a grip on Smith - and follow through on its administrative measures meant to protect patients - is made apparent by Justice Stephen Goudge in the following section of his report called "The Role of Sick Kids."
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"In April, 1997, Dr. Becker prepared a letter addressed to Dr. Smith about "a disproportion in the number of complaints about diagnostic inconsistencies from pediatricians and surgeons" regarding Dr. Smith's surgical pathology work. The letter indicated that Dr. Becker was curtailing Dr. Smith's responsibilities in surgical pathology until Dr. Smith completed continuing medical education courses to improve his surgical pathology skills. The letter was unsigned and appears not to have been sent. Dr. Smith testified that no one ever advised him of significant concerns regarding his surgical pathology work or informed him that, as a result, he should cease performing surgical cases. Dr. Becker's letter also stated that, as Dr. Smith would not be conducting surgical pathology on a regular rotation, his "salary from the "Division of Pathology will be reduced by $20,000 for 1997."However, Dr. Smith's salary was not reduced in this manner. Whether the letter was sent or not, it clearly reflects Dr. Becker's serious concern with Dr. Smith's diagnostic skills.."
Justice Gouge also questioned whether the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children could have made a difference by informing the Office of the Chief Coroner (OCCO) "about their misgivings." Goudge addressed this point directly, saying: "From at least 1995 to 1997, Dr. Becker and others at SickKids had concerns about delays and diagnostic discrepancies in Dr. Smith's work. It appears that no one at SickKids took any formal disciplinary action against Dr. Smith, nor did they tell the OCCO about their misgivings. Ultimately, I cannot determine what might have happened had SickKids informed the OCCO of its concerns, but there can be no doubt that they had been known, these concerns should have informed the actions of the OCCO from 1995 to 1997. By choosing not to provide this information, SickKids impeded the OCCO's ability to provide meaningful oversight."
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.
The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.
