The Department of Health will spend an estimated $1 million to have an Ontario firm review examinations performed by a former Grand Falls-area radiologist.

Real Time Radiology Inc., based in Mississauga, will review about 30,000 exams conducted by Dr. Bhagwan Jain between 2006 and 2009, Health Minister Mary Schryer stated in a news release.

'This work will be carried out as quickly as possible … Providing these individuals with peace of mind is the highest priority.'—Health Minister Mary Schryer

The exams to be reviewed include ultrasounds, chest X-rays, fluoroscopy exams, venograms, Doppler ultrasounds and mammography tests.

"This work will be carried out as quickly as possible so that patients may have confidence in the accuracy of their diagnosis," Schryer said.

"Providing these individuals with peace of mind is the highest priority."

The review is expected to take about six months.

The examinations under review took place at the Grand Falls and Saint-Quentin hospitals and in Zone 3 of the Horizon Health Network, formerly Regional Health Authority B, which includes the Plaster Rock, Perth-Andover and Bath areas.

The exams will be provided to Real Time's radiology review team.

Real Time markets itself as the "largest independent pool of Canadian radiologists offering full radiology services across Canada."

Previous audit

Regional Health Authority (RHA) A announced Oct. 5 that it would undertake a review of Jain's work.

The decision followed an independent audit of 332 of his exams, which showed problems with 53 of them, 28 of which were considered major discrepancies.

The acceptable error rate in radiology is between three and five per cent, but the radiologist in question had an error rate of about 16 per cent.

A patient first raised concerns about Jain in 2005 and several doctors came forward in 2007.

Jain, who lives in Grand Falls, was suspended indefinitely without pay on Sept. 2 and has since given up his licence to practise.