Former P.A. doc can face misconduct charges in absentia
SASKATOON A Prince Albert doctor facing professional misconduct charges by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan is no longer licensed to practice medicine in the province.
Dr. Josias Furstenberg, who had been practising medicine in Prince Albert, did not renew his medical licence in Saskatchewan and hasn’t been licensed since Dec. 1, according to the CPSS’s associate registrar and legal counsel, Bryan Salte. The CPSS has also learned that Furstenberg has closed his P.A. practice and may have returned to South Africa, Salte said.
“There’s nothing that prevents us from continuing with the discipline proceeding notwithstanding the fact the person has left the country, or has left the province or is otherwise unavailable,” Salte said.
Furstenberg first came to the college’s attention after a mother of one of his patients raised concerns about her daughter’s relationship with the doctor. The college obtained a court order to seize and search Furstenberg’s mobile phone. Salte said the search led the college to other people the college believed may have had a relationship with the doctor.
“They have given us information and that’s what’s resulted in the charges,” he said.
The CPSS filed professional misconduct charges against Furstenberg in late November. The college alleges that Furstenberg “committed acts of sexual impropriety or sexual violation” with five patients, including sexual intercourse.
Among the charges, which include inappropriately sharing patient information, Furstenberg allegedly prescribed large quantities of opioids to one of the patients he allegedly had intercourse with and failed to take appropriate steps to deal with the patient’s dependency and/or addiction.
The charges have not been proven in a hearing and they are not criminal charges.
A hearing can be held in Furstenberg ’s absence if he doesn’t admit to the charges, as long as the college ensures he’s served with a notice of hearing. The college has been in contact with his lawyer, who is based in Saskatchewan.
“I think that we all have obligations as regulatory bodies to deal effectively with things that have arisen in our jurisdiction and not just simply say, ‘That’s not our problem any longer, they’re someplace else’, and it can have an impact on that person’s ability to practice in other places, other provinces, other countries,” Salte said.