Complaint filed against chief medical officer over mask mandate decision
CBC
The registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick says the province could be headed for "a mess" with the lifting of COVID-19 mask mandates on Monday and he blames politics.
Dr. Ed Schollenberg made the comments in response to a complaint against Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province's chief medical officer of health.
Jessica Bleasdale, of Fredericton, wrote to Schollenberg saying Russell has provided no medical evidence or scientific data to support her recommendation to remove masks, particularly in schools.
Bleasdale contends the decision will cause the "reckless endangerment" of children and persons with disabilities, including her two sons, aged 10 and 12, one of whom has disabilities, as well as seniors and vulnerable populations, and cause "undue harm to women who are most often in caregiving positions as teachers, nurses, and mothers tending to sick children."
This goes against the primary objective of all doctors to do no harm and to prevent disease whenever possible, she argued in her email.
It is, "at best an error of judgment and at worst complete negligence," she alleged.
Schollenberg replied Thursday, saying, "In the end these decisions are made by politicians, with whom [Russell] cannot openly disagree with. "That said, we do risk a mess if we follow other provinces in just starting to party."
Bleasdale says she was "shocked."
"To find out that Dr. Russell is unable to argue back with politicians making the decisions is completely unacceptable when we are being told that it is Public Health making the decisions."
She points to a number of social media posts by Education Minister Dominic Cardy.
"I continue to be unwilling to go against the recommendations of Public Health," he has posted on Twitter in response to calls to maintain masking in schools.
"There. Is. No. Political. Pressure," he has written.
Russell could not be reached Thursday for comment. She is attending a medical conference and is unavailable, said Department of Health spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane.
"Russell has yet to receive any correspondence related to this kind of complaint," he added.
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