Ontario doctor loses medical licence for 2 years after years of complaints

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Meeshika Sharma
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An Ontario gynecologist, Dr. Cathy Frank's  medical licence has been suspended for two years after the province’s regulatory body for physicians ruled that she committed professional misconduct and was incompetent in the care of two dozen patients.publive-image

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario also found that Dr. Cathy Frank, who most recently worked at Southern Ontario Fertility Technologies (S.O.F.T.) in London, Ont., failed to meet the standards of practice of her profession.

In a recently released disciplinary hearing decision, the CPSO said it had received more than 30 complaints from patients between 2009 and 2012 about the treatment they received from Dr. Frank. The CPSO’s decision details for the first time the nature of the complaints and the disciplinary committee’s findings.

The cases in question include a woman whose only remaining ovary was removed without consent during surgery and a woman whose fallopian tubes were tied without her consent after she lost her infant following an emergency C-section.

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The CPSO found that Dr. Frank failed to adequately investigate causes of patients’ symptoms before performing surgeries, failed to obtain informed consent from patients, and performed surgeries that resulted in damage to patients’ organs and tissues, among other wrongdoings.

As a result, Dr. Frank’s medical licence has been suspended for 24 months. The suspension came into effect on Feb. 27.

Dr. Frank’s husband, Dr. James Martin, also worked at the S.O.F.T. fertility clinic. In 2014, he admitted to professional misconduct and ceased to practice fertility medicine.

When Dr. Frank’s suspension is lifted, she will face numerous restrictions imposed by the CPSO, including practising only in the areas of reproductive endocrinology and infertility,office-based gynecology and early obstetrical care

 

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