Patients left in the dark
Physician facing charge isn’t practising in area
Don Smith wants to see a family doctor.
He has diabetes and has recently been suffering from seizures, but has been forced to go from one doctor to another since his family doctor was charged with voyeurism. He is now told he should visit the walk-in clinic or ER if he has medical needs.
Dr. Rafid Al-Nassar had his licence temporarily suspended in November after being charged with voyeurism. Police allege he was video-recording people in situations where they had an expectation of privacy.
Then in February the College of Physicians and Surgeons decided to replace the suspension of his licence with a combination of restrictions including having a chaperone at all times when seeing a patient.
After Al-Nassar was charged, Smith said he was seen by other doctors at the Westside Medical Centre, but that ended when AlNassar’s suspension was lifted.
Smith’s wife Janice said they hadn’t received a letter about the change but rather had been informed by their pharmacist that the Westside Medical Clinic wasn’t seeing Al-Nassar’s patients anymore. When they called the Westside Medical Clinic, that information was confirmed.
Don Smith said it’s concerning: because of the seizures he’s had he’s trying to make sure the medication is the right dosage.
“I don’t know if my levels or my medication are right or not.”
He also doesn’t know where or who he can get prescription refills from.
He said he’d be fine with going back to Al-Nassar if he knew where he was going to be working, but so far they’ve been left in the dark.
“I liked him as a doctor. I go with the notion everyone’s innocent until proven guilty,” Don Smith said. “I can understand them placing restrictions on him for sure because he’s in public trust, but I still think he should be able to practise.”
While the College of Physicians and Surgeons website lists his practice as the East Side Health Centre, Eileen MacIsaac, a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Health Authority said he is not currently practising in the area.
A written statement by the Nova Scotia Health Authority states:
“The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia has imposed conditions on his licence to practise, which he will be required to meet before he can once again see patients. It may take some time for Dr. Al-Nassar to meet these requirements to be able to resume practice in the area.”
In the meantime they are telling patients to call 811 to speak with a nurse for health care advice, visit the Aberdeen Walk-In Clinic in New Glasgow or for mental health concerns to call the 24-hour mental health crisis line at 1(888) 429-8167.
MacIsaac did not know how many patients are impacted, but described the situation as “less than ideal.”
Bernard Enger said his fatherin-law was a patient of Al-Nassar as well. He too is frustrated at the situation patients are facing. He said his father-in-law has had some health issues including dementia that were in the process of being diagnosed, but now that the clinic isn’t seeing Dr. Al-Nassar’s patients, he doesn’t know how that will go.
“I’m taking him to a specialist, who is going to do the followup?” he’s asked the Westside clinic.
“It’s out of our hand,” he said he’s been told.
He said he was also told the health authority was supposed to have notified patients but says that they haven’t received anything.
He said it’s fine for the College of Physicians and Surgeons to reinstate him, but with no practice, he said patients are left wondering where to go.
“We’re just left hanging and I’m sure we’re not the only ones. It’s very puzzling.”
He said the problem with the walk-in is that you don’t have the ongoing communication you develop with a family doctor.
Janice Smith said the ER doesn’t make sense either because if you have to go there for a prescription you could be clogging up the system and waiting for hours.
“It just seems to me like playground politics now,” she said. A patient of the Westside Medical Centre enters the building Tuesday. Patients of Dr. Rafid Al-Nassar, who used to practise at the Westside Medical Clinic, say they’ve been left in limbo now that Al-Nassar’s suspension has been lifted.