Interior Health has much to answer to
DEAR EDITOR:
Earlier this week, The Herald and Daily Courier reported on the conviction of Albert de Villiers, the former chief medical health officer of Interior Health. de Villiers, was convicted of sex crimes against children in Alberta, where he was previously employed as a senior medical officer for Alberta Health.
During the 2020-2021 period, as the senior medical officer for Interior Health, he received a total compensation package of $205,636, likely indicating that he had been hired during the year and possibly after the RCMP was investigating him in Grande Prairie, Alta.
I wonder if Interior Health did an adequate background check on Dr. de Villiers, before hiring him.
In the 2021-2022 year, his employment package climbed to $356,738, and it is apparent that, because of the charges laid against him during that year, he was “demoted” to a less-public role with the health authority, and at some point, Dr. Sue Pollock was appointed as chief medical health officer.
Her total compensation package during 2022 was $377,414. One must assume that Dr. Pollock took up her position on June 9, when de Villiers, was given “general paid leave” until Oct. 3. This was essentially fully paid free vacation.
On Oct. 4, he returned to work in an administration role and, while it is not known when that position was terminated, it is probable that he was terminated in his employment with Interior Health when he was convicted in Grande Prairie, earlier this week.
Thus, one can assume he was paid at least one-twelfth of what he received in total compensation during 2022. That would have been approximately $30,000, and likely more, as most of the senior officers with Interior Health would have received an increase in compensation for 2023 over what they received in 2022.
The president and CEO had an increase of 5%. The VP of medicine and quality received a 2% increase, while the VP of clinical operations received 1.8%. The VP of clinical and corporate services received an increase of 3.4%.
Media reports have indicated that, as of Jan. 23, the average family doctor in British Columbia had a gross income of $281,428. I assume the average office expenses in B.C. are similar to that in Ontario, where the reported office expenses ranged from 12.5% to 42.5%, with specialist physicians usually reported the highest level of expenses. Even using the low rate in Ontario, the net income of a physician in B.C. would be approximately $250,000.
How can Interior Health justify paying qualified doctors approximately $250,000, out of which they must contribute to private pension plans, when the senior doctors working for Interior Health earn upwards of $350,000 which includes pension plan contributions, and the CEO who has a nursing background, package in 2022 was $441,465, again including pension contributions, while another VP who was a pharmacist, had a package in 2022 of $315,644 again including pension plan contributions?
How can the provincial government and its Minister of Health allow Interior Health management to pay its senior people these excessive amounts, when the doctors who provide medical services to the population receive so much less?
There’s no wonder why many people can’t get a local physician, and why, when those people need care and have to go to emergency rooms at a nearby hospital, the staff at our hospitals are overworked and suffer burn out, resulting in too many leaving their profession.
Taxpayers in B.C. deserve answers.
Robert Mason Summerland