A Nigerian doctor based in Canada, Dr. Amos Akinbiyi, has sued the Saskatchewan Health Authority and some of its employees, accusing them of discrimination, intimidation, breach of contract, conspiracy, and defamation.
Akinbiyi, who has been working in Saskatchewan since 1996, said he was forced to treat his daughter in an emergency at the Regina General Hospital while she was in labour. He claimed this went against professional ethics and Nigerian cultural beliefs.
According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan, doctors are not allowed to provide medical services to family members except in emergencies where no other doctors are available. However, Akinbiyi told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) that other medical professionals were present and on call when he was called to attend to his daughter.
“They called me to come and resuscitate my own daughter, and I told them not to,” Akinbiyi said. “Two hours after she coded again, guess who they called? They called me to come and resuscitate.”
The CBC reported that Akinbiyi’s lawsuit also argued that being forced to treat his daughter violated a Nigerian cultural belief that parents should not see their child’s exposed body.
Following the incident, Akinbiyi filed complaints against the hospital staff. However, he claimed this led to a campaign of retaliation against him, which he believes was racially motivated.
According to the report, officials at SHA and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan later filed complaints against him, accusing him of unprofessional conduct.
“The complaints, which include unprofessional conduct, have been without merit,” Akinbiyi stated.
He added that he had suffered both professionally and personally for standing by his daughter after she publicly spoke out about the incident.
“This is not the first time SHA has done this to ethnic doctors, and I feel I’m committed to pursuing this to a conclusive end despite all the financial involvement, despite all the exhaustion,” he said.
“Because this is a task for generations to come, not just for me.”
The SHA declined to comment on the case but released a statement saying, “We are dedicated to maintaining a collegial and collaborative workplace that provides a healthy and positive environment.”
On January 31, lawyers representing SHA in court requested that its employees be removed from the lawsuit, arguing that they acted in their official roles as healthcare workers. They also sought to strike out claims they considered legally weak.
Justice Andrew Davis has reserved his decision.
