LONE IMPLANT MD LEAVES
Worried families call departure ‘medical emergency’ for children
Saskatchewan residents who could be candidates for cochlear implant surgery have been “left in the lurch” by the departure of the province’s lone otologist, says an advocacy group for the deaf and hard of hearing.
“We’re concerned. It’s a medical emergency in terms of language development, especially for children,” said Marilyn Barrington, a board member for the Saskatchewan Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf.
Dr. Nael Shoman, a highly trained doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating ear issues, became the province’s first and only otologist when he accepted a job with the Saskatoon Health Region in 2011. Prior to that, people in Saskatchewan who needed cochlear implants or other specialized surgeries to improve hearing had to travel to Edmonton.
Shoman left Saskatchewan on Oct. 31.
Amanda Purcell, a spokeswoman for the Saskatchewan Health Authority, said the organization “is currently exploring recruitment opportunities with our stakeholders for an otologist in the province,” but “there is no timeline for this.”
It leaves families like the Morrises in an uncertain situation.
Fourteen-year-old Mary-Jayne Morris was born with Mondini dysplasia, an inner ear malformation that results in profound hearing loss. The Saskatoon teen isn’t a candidate for cochlear implants yet, but her last hearing test showed her hearing has deteriorated and she could require the surgery in the foreseeable future.
“Potentially, in the next year or so, or something like that, her hearing may drop and we’ve got in the back of our minds that she may suddenly need a cochlear implant, and what are the options then? So it’s kind of a really uncomfortable situation to be in,” said Peter Morris, Mary-Jayne’s father.
“We’re still trying to find answers to our questions,” he said. “Obviously we’re concerned. We’re very concerned.”
Purcell said Shoman had 870 patients on his surgical wait list when he made the decision to leave. He had worked with the former Saskatoon Health Region to whittle that down to 338 patients.
“All remaining cases that can be performed by an ENT (ear, nose and throat doctor) in the province will be referred to that ENT. For highly specialized cases that cannot be performed by local ENTs, new clinical pathways are being established for these patients, which may include a referral to an out-ofprovince otologist,” Purcell said in an emailed statement.
She said patients who have had cochlear implants — Shoman performed 65 such surgeries this year — can receive followup support from audiologists, who have studied the ear, but aren’t doctors.
Purcell said none of the 338 patients on the wait list need cochlear implant surgery and that 59 of them will be referred to an otologist in another province.
“Should an out-of-province procedure be required, the Ministry of Health would cover the health care related costs, for example, the physician’s billing and/or a required device,” Purcell said.
Forcing people to travel out of province for necessary procedures “is an economic and emotional hardship on families,” Barrington said.
“Families are faced with high costs associated with lost wages, travel, lodging, meals and, additionally, they are removed from their essential support system.”
Peter Morris worries his family will find itself in that situation.
“Why should we have to travel out of province because our government, our province, is failing to supply the basic standard of surgery that we need?”