On the evening of Friday, October 29, a crowd of revellers
gathered at the Westport Legion for a celebratory dinner.
The occasion: they had their doctor back.
All was well in Rideau Lakes until
May, 2003. That's when a former patient of Dr Ian Shiozaki's
went to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
(CPSO) with allegations of sexual abuse from three years
earlier. Dr Shiozaki was accused of professional misconduct
and incompetence, and threatened with suspension of
his license. (NRM covered the story in our January 30
issue last year "Citizens
rally behind MD accused of abuse and incompetence,"
Vol 1, No 2.)
The town exploded. Dr Shiozaki
was hugely popular locally. Over the 22 years he'd been
the lone doctor in the Rideau Lakes Township area, he
had treated an estimated 4,000 patients. He was known
for his extraordinary dedication; several times, he'd
accompanied his patients in ambulances to hospitals
in Kingston or Ottawa.
Prominent citizens, including former
Newfoundland premier Frank Moores, formed an action
group called Concerned Citizens for Ian Shiozaki. The
group engaged in a vigorous letter-writing campaign,
distributed petitions and fundraised like gangbusters,
eventually collecting 1,515 signatures and hauling in
over $34,000. With the funds raised, they hired criminal
lawyer Michael Code to support Canadian Medical Protective
Association appointed lawyer Brian Greenspan on the
case.
On April 5, Dr Shiozaki went before
the CPSO Discipline Committee, which determined that
Dr Shiozaki had, indeed, engaged in physical contact
with the complainant on three occasions in his office.
They found him guilty of professional misconduct, but
withdrew allegations of sexual abuse and incompetence.
They suspended his certificate
of registration for six months, or three if he would
take a two-day 'boundaries' course. He agreed, and returned
to his practice October 1. "If you are pleased with
the results," trumpets the Concerned Citizens website,
"you've only got yourselves to blame." Norm Hagan, the
site's author, declined to comment when contacted, saying
only that everyone involved is just glad that the ordeal
is over.
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