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EDITORIAL: Is this the end of the story?

Interior Health recently accepted the resignation of Dr. Dan Brosseuk
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Why hasn’t more been done by Interior Health to retain one of Williams Lake’s top surgeons, Dr. Dan Brosseuk? (Williams Lake Tribune file photo)

At the Tribune we can almost always judge the significance of a story and its impact in the community based on the reaction we receive.

The story, ‘Longtime Williams Lake surgeon resigns over IH admin changes,’ was one of those which once published prompted a swift and large reaction from community members expressing their shock, anger and sadness that Dr. Brosseuk has resigned from Cariboo Memorial Hospital over “administrative changes.”

Brosseuk put himself out there, speaking briefly to the media that in his opinion those changes impacted the level of quality care he was able to provide. Ethically, he did not feel he could continue the way things were going.

Sometimes, there’s so much more to a story.

We began looking into the situation some time ago when hospital staff members first started alerting us to their mounting concerns regarding the relationship between the surgeon and Interior Health administration. Once some time passed, those staff members, who at first rallied behind the surgeon, quickly fell silent, telling us they could lose their jobs if they spoke out in support of the longtime doctor and the internal problems facing staff.

We experience stonewalling from government as a common course, but to witness health care professionals essentially put under a gag order is disheartening to say the least.

We know that once handing in his resignation, Dr. Brosseuk did leave the door open for discussion and mediation should IH have wanted to keep him. Instead rather, they slammed that door tight, accepting his resignation and that of his wife, ER Dr. Gisele Adam.

Who are the administrative staff to make such calls in this small community? Where is the respect for local health care professionals?

One has to wonder how this treatment of staff will impact recruitment of other health care professionals.

Certainly this cannot be the end of the story.

-Williams Lake Tribune

Read More: Longtime Williams Lake surgeon resigns over Interior Health admin changes



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