REGINA – Two Regina doctors are being charged with unprofessional conduct by The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan (CPSS), after allegedly taking patient information from a clinic they used to work at, and using it to advertise services for another.
Farooq Zamir is one of thousands of Midway Health Care Centre patients whose information was compromised.
“You share information with your doctor that you wouldn’t share with your wife or your kids. You tell your doctor all your personal information. That’s been violated,” said Zamir. “It felt like some stranger went inside my house and was talking to my daughters. And I was extremely furious.”
Zamir shared his concern with the provincial health ministry last summer. They responded with a letter, which stated the doctors were within their rights to contact their patients.
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The problem is that neither Dr. Lanishen Bhagaloo and Dr. Nivas Juggernath was his family physician – Zamir had been there for walk-in visits only. Additionally, the letters were mailed after the doctors had left the practice.
Former owner of Midway Sam Khan reached out to both doctors, who left his clinic last May and join Gateway Alliance Medical just one month later.
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In an email from Juggernath to Khan, Juggernath says, “To date, more than 8,000 patients have been contacted telephonically and over 15,000 patients will shortly be receiving postal mail notifications.”
Khan says there were other concerns too. He performed an audit and found the doctors’ login information to a secure program that protect the medical history of patients, was being shared with non-medical staff.
“How come two people can access with one ID in two different locations at the same time?” questions Khan.
If the two doctors deny the charge, they will have to attend a hearing with the CPSS, where a penalty will be determined.
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