Nothing good ever comes of coverups,
but hospitals never seem to learn. The breast cancer
scandal rocking Newfoundland ("Cancer
scandal puts path standards under the scope" on
page 5) is a striking case in point.
When Eastern Health, the health
authority where the flawed tests took place, first came
clean, they played down the numbers. Tests were quietly
redone, and women who'd undergone chemo for their breast
cancer were shocked when they received letters from
their oncologists informing them their ER/PR tests were
in fact positive. The full horror — more than 300
botched tests — only came to light when the women
got together to sue.
If the full extent of the problem
had been made public two years ago the inquiry just
ordered might now be finishing up, and better standards
might already be in place.
Instead, the province has become
a cesspool of accusation and innuendo. The debate has
turned ugly, with veiled slurs being aimed at Newfoundland's
large contingent of foreign-trained doctors, who are
being scapegoated — without evidence — by
an angry public.
About a year ago parallel, deadly
C difficile outbreaks raged in St Hyacinthe,
QC and Sault Ste Marie, ON. Both resulted in coroner's
inquests, but with very different results. The Quebec
outbreak was hushed up and when the story broke hospital
administrator heads rolled, much ink was spilled and
faith in the hospital mortally wounded. The Sault hospital
went to the media itself and called for reinforcements
and no incompetence accusations were levelled.
Eastern Health didn't learn the
moral of the story. Airing one's dirty laundry is always
painful, but hospitals will only rebuild the public's
shattered trust when they keep the hamper permanently
open.
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