Halifax doctor agrees to supervision plan after interim suspension for disorganized and overbooked clinic

A Halifax doctor has reached a settlement with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia after facing an interim suspension over complaints that his clinic was disorganized and overbooked.Under the terms of the settlement signed July 16, Dr. Agomeze Igwe-Omoke will be allowed to practice again, but must complete an ethics course and a medical record-keeping course. He must also complete a 12-week family practice assessment under high-level supervision, which the possibility of moving down to intermediate-level supervision after four weeks.After the 12-week assessment, if his performance is satisfactory, Dr. Omoke will be permitted to practice under a restricted licence through a customized supervision plan in a practice setting approved by the college and with a maximum of 40 patients per day. He must also undergo another practice assessment after nine months. He will also not be permitted to be responsible for hiring and training staff until the successful completion of the supervision plan.Initially, in May 2020, he had been placed under an interim restriction limiting him to 40 patients. However, as the college’s investigation continued and more complaints rolled in, the college issued an interim suspension in December 2020.Originally from the United Kingdom, Dr. Omoke began practicing in Nova Scotia in September 2019. Before the COVID-19 restrictions, he was seeing between 50 to 70 patients a day on most days. On some days, he would have up to 158 patient encounters in a single day. He said the high daily patient encounters was common practice in the U.K. but did not have the knowledge and experience in the management and administration of a clinic.“When Dr. Omoke began practice in Nova Scotia, there was no formal orientation system in place respecting the expectations, norms, and standards of family practice in the province, including with respect to the administration and management of an independent family practice,” a part of Dr. Omoke’s settlement agreement with the college reads.As a result, the college received various complaints about Dr. Omoke missing appointments, poor record-keeping and general practice disorganization—conduct that Dr. Omoke has admitted to.Dr. Omoke’s lack of organization in his practice was found to have affected patient care on several occasions. In one instance, Dr. Omoke prescribed a patient seeking relief for rib pain tramadol without explaining that this medication was an opioid, despite the fact that the patient said he was against opioids. In another instance in December 2019, Dr. Omoke failed to conduct a rectal examination on a patient who complained about rectal symptoms and had a history of hemorrhoids.In February 2020, a patient presented with periodic abdominal cramping and swelling, but Dr. Omoke did not conduct a physical examination of the abdomen because she was not complaining of pain and did not schedule a follow-up appointment after arranging bloodwork. The patient returned to Dr. Omoke without a scheduled appointment in August 2020 with concerns of increasing distension of her abdomen, and once again, he did not conduct a physical examination but faxed a referral to a gynecologist for a CT scan, but did not call the gynecologist—even when the radiology report confirmed a large pelvic mass. If Dr. Omoke completes the supervision plan, the college’s Physician Performance Department will assess if there are any additional conditions or restrictions to impose. In addition, if the department determines that either the 12-week assessment or the supervision plan have not been successfully completed, the matter will be referred to the college’s hearing committee.

Halifax doctor agrees to supervision plan after interim suspension for disorganized and overbooked clinic

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