Laval doctor gets six-month suspension for 2010 incident

Surgeon squabbled over transfer while patient awaited treatment

A Quebec doctor has been handed a six-month licence suspension by Quebec’s College of Physicians.

The council sanctioned Dr. Nathalie Hamel after finding her guilty of four infractions of the professional code of ethics for physicians in the province.

The council imposed two sanctions of temporary removal of the doctor’s licence, each of six months in duration, to be served concurrently. The ruling stems from a 2010 case in which a patient suffered a knee fracture and was transported by ambulance to Cité-de-la-Santé hospital in Laval.

Hamel, an orthopedic surgeon, told an emergency physician the patient should have been taken to Pierre-Le Gardeur Hospital in Terrebonne based on the patient’s residence. Later, an emergency-room physician informed the patient a transfer to Pierre-Le Gardeur Hospital would take place. The patient, whose leg was in a splint and who was being given pain medication, objected. The patient’s family also was unhappy.

The ER doctor contacted the orthopedic surgeon at Pierre-Le Gardeur hospital, and was told to try to persuade Hamel to examine the patient to avoid a transfer and delay in treatment. According to the ruling, Hamel again refused to take charge of the patient.

Hamel then took the dispute to the hospital’s director of professional services. At that point, Hamel was told by the professional services director that the patient would stay at Cité-de-la-Santé.

Hamel, after studying the patient’s file and considering the complexity of the fracture, did not feel comfortable operating on the patient, according to the council. After a discussion with another doctor, Hamel decided to transfer the patient to Sacré-Coeur Hospital in Montreal. Those plans were changed again, and the patient was eventually transferred to Jean-Talon Hospital.

In its ruling, the council said Hamel seemed more concerned with administrative issues than her duty to examine the patient to determine the care required. By her actions, Hamel undermined the confidence of the public in the medical profession, the ruling said.