The head of Newfoundland and Labrador's Eastern Health Authority has resigned, nearly two months after a scandal involving his organization's failure to fully disclose the facts surrounding botched breast cancer tests.
In a brief statement issued Monday, the authority -- the province's largest -- confirmed it has accepted president and CEO George Tilley's resignation.
The sudden move came as the health authority grapples with controversy over its willingness to release information to the public.
In May, Tilley publicly apologized for the "confusion'' that arose when the authority failed to fully disclose results of a review that found more than 300 patients received the wrong results from faulty breast cancer tests.
At least 36 patients in N.L. who received the wrong results have since died. However, it remains unknown how many died as a result of their cancer.
Less than a week after Tilley apologized, he announced the suspension of a radiologist at the Burin Peninsula Health Centre after staff at the facility raised concerns three months earlier over his procedures and decision-making.
Tilley admitted that Eastern Health announced the suspension of Fred Kasirye much earlier than it planned to because of "heightened sensitivity'' over the faulty breast cancer tests.
The authority has reviewed 4,600 reports that Kasirye has conducted on 3,500 patients going back to his hiring in November, though it has not released its findings.
Eastern Health is now the subject of a judicial inquiry. About 100 patients have since filed a class-action lawsuit against the authority.
Tilley was unavailable for comment Monday, but Joan Dawe, chairwoman of Eastern Health's board of trustees, defended his record since being installed as CEO in January 2005.
"Mr. Tilley has provided significant leadership and contribution to this organization and to health and community services in the province, and he has been well respected and is a man of integrity,'' Dawe said in an interview.
She also acknowledged the "significant challenges'' that have mired Eastern Health over the past two months and said the organization was doing all it could to be publicly accountable.
"We will continue to do all in our power to ensure public confidence and trust in our system because there are many very, very good things happening within our organization that unfortunately get little public attention,'' she said.
Peter Dawe, executive director of the Canadian Cancer Society's Newfoundland and Labrador division, said he was surprised that Tilley resigned, but hoped it would help restore the public's confidence in the health-care system.
"Eastern Health has tried to demonstrate that they've fixed the problem and they're moving on, and I think that Mr. Tilley stepping down shouldn't change that,'' he said.
Louise Jones, who has more than 25 years experience working in Newfoundland's health-care system, has temporarily taken over as the authority's CEO.
With files from The Canadian Press
