Former local doctor reprimanded
A former Niagara family physician has had his registration revoked by the College of Physicians and Surgeons, which alleges the doctor engaged in unprofessional conduct in prescribing narcotics.
During a hearing in February, the college discipline committee concluded that Dr. Christian Proulx, who formerly practised medicine in Port Colborne and St. Catharines, failed to maintain the standard of practice of his profession and engaged in unprofessional conduct — stemming from a college investigation into complaints about narcotics that he was prescribing to patients.
One of the complaints was filed by an emergency room physician who treated Proulx’s patient after she overdosed in a suicide attempt.
A report about the committee’s decision, posted on the college website, says Proulx had been prescribing narcotics to a neighbour from August 2013 and January 2016 — despite only seeing her in his office on two occasions in 2015 and 2016.
The college determined that Proulx’s neighbour initially spoke to him about obtaining narcotics as a joke, asking if he “could prescribe her something fun.”
The college says Proulx and his neighbour then devised a plan in which he would prescribe her 200 narcotic pills at a time, roughly every 16 days. Proulx would then keep half the pills and purchase most of the remaining pills from her for about $3 per pill. The college alleges that Proulx developed a similar agreement with the woman’s former boyfriend.
The college report says Proulx also warned his patient “that their arrangement was a secret, that it was illegal, and that if the college ever discovered it he would be in a lot of trouble” and his patient “would probably face criminal charges.”
As the investigation began, Proulx voluntarily resigned his privilege for prescribing narcotics in 2016.
A week later, he resigned his membership in the college.
An expert retained for the investigation determined that there were “significant concerns” regarding prescriptions for opioids and benzodiazepines that Proulx issued, and that the care he provided patients fell below the standard of practice and “displayed a lack of knowledge, skill or judgement” and exposed his patients to harm or injury.
The disciplinary committee ruled that Proulx’s certificate of registration is to be revoked effective immediately; that he appear before the college panel to be reprimanded; and that he pay $5,500 to the college to cover costs of the proceeding.