Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s public health chief, taking leave of absence for medical treatment, and the government’s medical officer of health recommending that she be re-assigned.
The two have worked at Toronto Community Health (TCH) together for 22 years. Now, they are under attack from a small faction of doctors in the medical profession, and the government.
For their union, the Ontario Medical Association — which represents almost 1,000 doctors — they are the good guys. They are trying to save a life by taking a step backward.
In an unprecedented move, two TCH doctors are seeking a doctor from a rival union to “act as a bridge” between de Villa and the medical officer of health.
What is the Toronto medical union doing? (In a nutshell, it wants to make the TCH board more like that in Toronto Public Health [TPH], the board that runs healthcare in the city.)
The union wants the new doctor — the government is offering an interim appointment — to be part of an ongoing battle that seems certain to drag on for months.
De Villa has decided to take medical leave. The TCH medical officer of health is recommending she be reassigned, and TPH will meet separately with de Villa to discuss her replacement.
“Our role in this conflict is to protect our patients and ensure that our staff have access to the appropriate resources and expertise,” said Dr. Alan Cassels, the president-elect of OMA. “We will ensure that the community continues to have access to TCH doctors.”
“Our role in this conflict is to protect our patients and ensure that our staff have access to the appropriate resources and expertise,” said Dr. Alan Cassels, the president-elect of OMA. “We will ensure that the community continues to have access to TCH doctors.”
Cassels told the Star that the union will fight an attempt to cut the bridge role that Dr. Eileen de Villa has sought from TPH.
This was de Villa’s choice. She is a physician at Toronto General Hospital, and a public health specialist. She has worked at TCH for 20 years, starting as a public health nurse specialist and