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Guisti says BRHA's physician numbers don't add up

To the Editor: I am extremely disappointed with the BRHA's misleading statements in the story "Inkster Liberal MLA circulating petition that cites "serious concerns" about the BRHA in the March 24 Thompson Citizen.

To the Editor:

I am extremely disappointed with the BRHA's misleading statements in the story "Inkster Liberal MLA circulating petition that cites "serious concerns" about the BRHA in the March 24 Thompson Citizen.

The statement the physician situation is "the best it has been in 10 years" is not only misleading but also false. According to Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) requests I sent the BRHAwhen the current Gloria King-led management team took over in March 2008 the BRHA had 34 full-time physicians on their payroll. Ten months later only 23 remained, a 12 months loss of 39 per cent.

Also according to FIPPA, nearly 40 per cent ofthe BRHA's full time physicians handed in their resignations in 13 months. The BRHA would not confirm my findings that this is the largest mass exodus of physicians in Thompson's history. The BRHA claim that they hired six physicians since the exodus, however, they have also had many notable resignations led by surgeon Dr. Ismail Sardiwalla, pediatrician Dr. Ahmed Ahmed and family physician Dr. Shatha Neama Hassan.

The claim that recruitment of a pediatrician looks promising is misleading. The pediatrician is due to start the mandatory six-month assessment with the University of Manitoba in June. If - and that is a big if - the pediatrician passes, the soonest they may start will be early in 2011.

The claim that the BRHA recruited anesthetist Dr. Ravi Kumbharathi last December tells barely half the story. It took nearly three years to replace the last anesthetist.

The Gloria King and Dr. Hussam Azzam-run BRHA make a complete mockery of their vision statement that claims "honesty, transparency, accountability" and being "open and transparent in all that we do." They are also mandated to admit mistakes. They sure have a lot of admitting to do. In the meantime, we Northerners, taxpayers, aboriginalsand children, bear the brunt of their failures.

Hussain GuistiThompson

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