Northern Health Region Sued By Former Doctors

Northern Health Region Sued By Former Doctors

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 at 14:27

 

 

A lawyer for the Keewatin Yatthe Regional Health Authority says he’s confident the health region will win a lawsuit filed against it by two former doctors.

 

The statement of claim was filed in September by two doctors whose contracts were terminated at the La Loche Health Centre last year.

 

A dollar figure hasn’t been given in the lawsuit, but the two physicians apparently want the money they would have made through the rest of their contract, plus other expenses.

 

The pair are also suing the Saskatchewan government for not getting involved in the situation after the health region terminated their contracts.

 

However, Jim Gillis, the lawyer for Keewatin Yatthe, says the lawsuit is entirely without merit.

 

He claims a clause in the doctors’ contract allowed for their deals to be terminated with six months notice — something Gillis claims both physicians agreed to when they signed their contracts.

 

With that argument in mind, the provincial government has applied to have the lawsuit dismissed without going to trial.

 

That application is set to be heard on December 6th.

 

Gillis says the health region is also asking for the lawsuit to be dismissed and he hopes that can happen at the same time.

 

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Keewatin Yatthe says he expects the fourth and final doctor vacancy at the La Loche facility to be filled out sometime in January.