Inquiry looks into troubled doctor's mental state

A board of inquiry reconvenes Tuesday to consider whether a Summerside doctor is "having difficulty in mental functioning."

'It was difficult to decide how to inform the public ' -Dr. Cyril Moyse

The inquiry at the Prince Edward Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission is dealing with four issues regardingDr. Douglas Ian Cameron, two of them connected to the question of his mental function. The two others involvean appeal of findings of professional misconduct.

The complaints are unrelated to allegations that led to the P.E.I. College of Physicians and Surgeons pulling Cameron's licence last week. Those allegations haven't been made public.

Cameron has a troubled history, having been found guilty of sexually assaulting three of his patients in the mid-1990s.After spending time in jail he regained his medical licence.

His licence was also suspended for a time in 2002 after he failed to turn over medical reports as requested by the college part of the conditions for his licence being reinstated.

Public in the dark about new inquiry

This current inquiry began hearing testimony last month. The hearings are supposed to be public, but the college decided not to inform Islanders.

The board of inquiry heard three days of testimony a few weeks ago. While the P.E.I. Medical Act says these boards of inquiry must be held in public, the college says that doesn't mean they have to tell people about them.

"It was difficult to decide how to inform the public, particularly in this case because it wasn't one single charge," college registrar Dr. Cyril Moyse told CBC News.

"It was mostly developed on appeal by Dr. Cameron and his lawyer on two individual separate events. So the college wasn't laying a charge, as much as laying the matter before the board of inquiry for its deliberation."

Moyse says the college isn't trying to hide anything, it's just that these hearings are so rare, the college wasn't sure if it even had a duty to inform the public.

"If my memory serves me correctly there's only been one other previous board of inquiry and that was in the mid-1990s I believe," he said.