Stonewall Dr. Pooventhran Pillay suspended pending discipline decision

A Stonewall, Man., doctor has been suspended while he's investigated by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba, leaving his patients with questions as they scramble to find alternative care.

Dr.Pooventhran Pillaywas until recently theonly doctor atNew Hope Clinic in Stonewall after practising for 14 years in Teulon.

"An interim suspension from the practice of medicine has now been imposed on him. He has been interim suspended pursuant to section 51.1 ofthe Medical Act," collegeregistrar Dr. Anna Ziomekconfirmed in an email to CBC.

Section 51.1of the Medical Act says the chair of an investigation committee may direct the registrar to suspend a doctor"when there is a question of serious risk to the public."

A patient of Pillay,who did not want to be identified because thefamily is afraid of repercussions from other health-care providers, said family doctors are sparse in the area.

"We will have to see someone by the end of the month to have our prescriptions filled," the patient said. "Our only choice is to go to the emergency room or a walk-in clinic."

The outgoing message on the answering machine atPillay's New Hope clinicsaid he is away on sabbatical and will be back at the end of April.

The message invites patients to fax their prescription requests to an alternative number, but it's not clear if those prescriptions are being filled. The patient who spoke to CBC said they were told to find another doctor to prescribe the medications they need.

CBC News called a cellphone number provided on the clinic's outgoingmessage for urgent inquiries but no calls have been returned.

The Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority would not shed any light on Pillay's departure. The doctor's privileges at one of the health authority's hospitals were suspended inFebruary 2015, but a spokespersonwrote in an email thatthe matter was confidential.

"This is a confidential matter between the RHA and Dr. Pillay, and we cannot comment on the reason for the suspension of Dr. Pillay's in-patient privileges at one of our hospitals," the email said.

"My first instinct is anger at the regional health authority," Pillay's former patient said. "No one is telling us anything about what happened."

"The college has a bylaw in place that outlines the physician's professional duty isto ensure their patients receive ongoing care from an alternate provider," a health authorityspokesperson wrote."We encourage all residents in need of a physician to register with Family Doctor Finder in order to be matched with a physician that is accepting new patients."

"Something really needs to be done," the patient said. "We're leaving this community anyway becauseone of the biggest issues is the health service."

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