Doctors' offices need more regular inspections, health unit official says
The Chief medical officer of health for Sudbury and Algoma is calling for more regular inspections of doctors' offices, after hundreds of patients in Sault Ste. Marie may have been infected with hepatitis or HIV.
Public health officials say patients of Dr. E.E. Beduhn could have been infected by dirty instruments going back to 1998 — and possibly even longer than that.
Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, currently the medical officer of health for both Sudbury and Algoma, would like to see the regulatory college for doctors do more to protect the public.
"What I would like to see happen would be for the colleges to be doing more routine inspections on a proactive basis," she said.
College offers 'peer assessments'
Kathryn Clarke from the College of Physicians and Surgeons refused to comment on that suggestion, and refused a recorded interview with CBC News.
Clarke did say the college inspects surgical clinics that are outside of hospitals. As for family doctors, the college offers peer assessments on how to set up a medical practice.
Meanwhile, the search continues for Beduhn's patients who may be affected.
Sutcliffe noted this kind of risk of mass infection doesn't happen very often.
"Thankfully it doesn't. However, I would say that those complaints and concerns are on the rise," she said.
"And that could be related to, perhaps, more people being aware of this kind of thing and, perhaps, more procedures being done outside of hospital and in a clinic setting."
Sutcliffe says since 2001, public health has received 15 complaints about Sudbury doctors, but no major problems were discovered during their inspection.