Inquiry Former CEO was fired before he was able to sack disgraced pathologist, commission told

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MONCTON - A former Miramichi health authority CEO had set a plan in motion to remove Dr. Rajgopal Menon from his job in 2004, but was fired before he could follow through with it.

Enlarge Photo

adam Huras/telegraph-journal

Former Miramichi Regional Health Authority CEO Jim Wolstenholme, right, who was questioned at the inquiry Tuesday, speaks with current CEO of the MRHA Gary Foley, who attended the hearing to listen. Wolstenholme told the commission he had plans to terminate Dr. Rajgopal Menon in 2004, but was fired himself in May of that year.

Former CEO Jim Wolstenholme told the commission of inquiry Tuesday that problems with the pathologist's practice had gone on long enough and he had begun to take the steps to end it.

But Wolstenholme, embroiled in another controversy himself, was terminated in May 2004, leaving the job undone.

"I felt there had been problems long enough with respect to Dr. Menon's practice within the Miramichi Regional Health Authority," he said. "No one had taken a stand on it and I was going to do it.

"Enough was enough."

In April 2004 Wolstenholme removed the doctor as chief of the pathology department.

In a meeting between himself, Dr. Carl Hudson, vice-president of medical services, and Menon on the same day, Wolstenholme suggested to Menon he retire.

He told the pathologist he had issues with turn-around time, was removing slides from the hospital, absenteeism to a business in Fredericton and passive participation in committees. Wolstenholme said that on his first day on the job, Oct. 22, 2001, he was briefed on Menon's turn-around time issues.

He also said he would not recommend the hospital board renew his credentials upon next review.

That would have left Menon without hospital privileges, essentially terminating him from his position at Miramichi Hospital.

But Wolstenholme's plans were cut short when he was fired for what he said was speaking out against rumours about the leaked provincial health plan at the time.

Miramichi authority board members and stakeholders had heard Miramichi Hospital was to be downgraded in status from a regional hospital to a specialty hospital.

When Wolstenholme addressed the issue to both his stakeholders and the media, he said then deputy minister of health Nora Kelly dismissed him.

Wolstenholme said he told his replacement, CEO Gary Foley, about problems with Menon. Foley is set to testify at the inquiry Tuesday.

The former CEO said when he was given the position he had a laundry list of problems to deal with, which may have been the reason why it wasn't until 2004 that issues with Menon were aggressively addressed.

Wolstenholme said part of the problem was that Menon headed the pathology department.

"In my view there is a problem in the past specifically related to the chiefs of the departments," he said. "In the process for renewal of privileges, the chief comments on the worthiness of the physicians, but there is no colleague who comments on the clinical worthiness of the chief.

"In the case of Dr. Menon, he was chief from day one."

Wolstenholme suggested there should be automatic reviews for physicians in small departments.

He also recommends review of any physician's capabilities once they reach a certain age to find "whether or not the normal aging process affects judgment or manual dexterity."

The commission, headed by retired judge Paul Creaghan, resumes Tuesday at l'Université de Moncton.