The BC government gave whistleblower protection to health care providers, a change that ironically might make some health professionals feel more vulnerable to accusation..The scope of the Public Interest Disclosure Act (PIDA) expanded to people working at health authorities, Providence Health, and BC Emergency Health Services as of June 1..“No one is above the rules. When someone sees something that could seriously undermine confidence in public services, it’s vital they feel they can safely share those concerns without fear of repercussion,” said Niki Sharma, attorney general in a press release.. “As we bring more employees under the protections of this legislation, British Columbians can be reassured that serious wrongdoing will not get in the way of delivering on the services we need most.”.PIDA allows employees to report wrongdoing to designated officers within their organization or to the Office of the Ombudsperson without reprisal..“The whistleblower protection law provides an important protection for health-care workers to voice their concerns about serious wrongdoing as we take action to strengthen our public health-care system,” said Adrian Dix, minister of Health. .“This is the result of years of diligent work done in light of the ombudsperson’s recommendations in the Misfire: The 2012 Ministry of Health Employment Terminations and Related Matters report. I thank everyone in the health organizations who have supported the development of the Public Interest Disclosure Act thus far, and I am proud of this legislation under our government.”.Employees who participate in PIDA investigations are protected from reprisals, such as demotion, termination or other measures that adversely affect an employee’s work conditions. PIDA also requires ministries and the ombudsperson to report the number of disclosures they receive and the results of any investigations they undertake each year..The province passed PIDA in 2018 in response to the ombudsperson’s 2017 report, Misfire: The 2012 Ministry of Health Employment Terminations and Related Matters. The province implemented all 41 recommendations from the report..Government has been progressively implementing the act across the public sector since it came into force on Dec. 1, 2019. It currently applies to staff in government ministries, independent offices of the legislature, tribunals, and select agencies, boards, commissions, and Crown corporations, such as BC Housing. .Bringing health authorities under PIDA will extend the protections available under the act to healthcare workers. Other organizations, including educational institutions and health agencies, will be brought under PIDA in December 2023, and in 2024..Specific types of wrongdoing that may be disclosed under PIDA include:.a serious act or omission that, if proven, would constitute an offence under an enactment of B.C., or Canada;an act or omission that creates substantial and specific danger to the life, health or safety of persons, or to the environment, other than a danger that is inherent in the performance of an employee’s duties or functions;a serious misuse of public funds of public assets;gross or systemic mismanagement; andknowingly directing or counselling a person to commit a wrongdoing above..Organizations recently brought under PIDA include BC Emergency Health Services, Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission, Fraser Health Authority, Interior Health Authority, Northern Health Authority, Providence Health Care Society, Provincial Health Services Authority, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, and Vancouver Island Health Authority..Protection for some could make vulnerability for others whenever Bill 36 is implemented. The legislation passed last November allows for $200,000 fines for doctors guilty of spreading misinformation to authorities or patients and $500,000 if their practice is incorporated..At the Reclaiming Canada Conference in Victoria May 27, suspended Edmonton oncologist William Makis said the legislation reminded him of the communism he grew up with in Czechoslovakia..“That culture is here in this Bill 36, this encouragement of professionals to snitch on each other, report each other, so that their colleagues could have their licenses suspended. This is an absolutely atrocious, atrocious aspect of the bill,” Makis said..In 2017, Makis accused a colleague of bringing false accusations against him in a complaint. Then, in 2018, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta found him guilty of unprofessional conduct for confronting the complainant with allegations of lying, promising she would stand before the college under oath, and would lose her job as a result..To read the Public Interest Disclosure Act, CLICK HERE. .To learn more about PIDA and how to make a disclosure, CLICK HERE.
