Radiologist suspension not due to quality: Kennedy

Newfoundland and Labrador's minister of health says a suspended Gander radiologist is not off the job because of the quality of his work.

Jerome Kennedy told CBC News that Dr. John Ozoh was suspended last month because he has not been participating appropriately in a review of his work.

Central Health began reviewing Ozoh's work as a radiologist at James Paton Memorial Hospital in Gander after receiving complaints.

Kennedy said there were several dozen instances in which Ozoh was not complying with requests to participate in a review of his work.

"There [were] 37 cases where that hadn't taken place, so he had failed to comply with the quality assurance process that had been put in place by Central Health and the College of Physicians and Surgeons," Kennedy said.

"So that in itself resulted in his suspension and now we're waiting for the peer review process to be completed, which will determine the quality of his work and what error rate if any is applicable."

Ozoh had been suspended in 2007 for two months, but was reinstated after a review.

Kennedy said the new review of his work should be finished soon.