Clinic closing leaves patients out in cold
Suspended doctor blames finances
Last Updated: Monday, November 30, 2009 | 2:46 PM CT
CBC News
Hundreds of patients of a Winnipeg medical clinic are being left in the lurch after being told the facility will close permanently on Tuesday.
A sign, posted Monday on the door of the Westbrook Medical Clinic at 1800 Logan Ave. announced the closing, but patients told CBC News they were never given a reason.
"What is the big mystery?" asked Randy Heinrich, a patient at the clinic for the last 15 years.
"No one will say … Why kick everybody out?" Heinrich said, adding he's not sure where he'll go now for medical treatment.
Three doctors are also affected by the clinic's shutdown and are now looking for new jobs.
Patients will be notified by mail when the physicians have found new places to work.
The clinic's owner, Dr. George Korol, has issued a written statement saying financial reasons are behind the closure.
Manitoba's College of Physicians and Surgeons said Korol was handed an interim suspension from practising medicine starting in early February, but wouldn't say why.
However, the college said it doesn't consider Korol's suspension a disciplinary matter.
The college hands down an interim suspension after the head of an investigative committee rules there's a "question of serious risk to the public," according to the college's website.
An interim suspension is a temporary measure pending completion of a full investigation, the college said.
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