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Doctor prescribed himself painkillers

Andrew Raven
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 17/04) - A former Yellowknife doctor, fired amid allegations of breaching patient confidentiality, was licensed in the NWT despite a history of abusing prescription drugs.

Richard Bargen, 56, was sanctioned by the Montana Board of Medical Examiners in 1993 for prescribing himself painkillers, including codeine, demerol, diazepam and tussionex.

Bargen was fired from his position as a family physician with Yellowknife Health and Social Services on Feb. 13 amid complaints that he breached patient confidentiality, had an improper relationship with a 17-year-old girl and was in possession of child pornography. The RCMP are not investigating the latter allegations.

After Bargen admitted to having an addiction to prescription drugs in the fall of 1993, he was allowed to keep his licence in Montana as long as he agreed to enter a detox centre and to supply the medical board with quarterly reports from his treating physician.

He was also required to ask the board's permission before practising in another state or country and, for a time, was barred from prescribing certain narcotics.

When Bargen was hired by Yellowknife Health and Social Services (YKHSS), in November 2003, CEO Greg Cummings said officials were not aware of his disciplinary record.

"We weren't aware of anything that would preclude him from consideration," said Cummings.

But at least one body was aware of Bargen's disciplinary record.

When Bargen -- the former chief medical health officer of Baffin and Keewatin -- was granted his licence in the mid-1990's, the Medical Registration Committee looked into his background.

Ultimately, the committee decided to grant him a licence to practise medicine in the NWT. But information about Bargen's record was not passed on to YKHSS as per departmental policy.

Cummings said YKHSS performed "due diligence" in their own interview process, which is separate from the licensing procedure.

Employers interviewed

YKHSS officials interviewed three of Bargen's previous employers, but Cummings admitted "our processes should pick up (his disciplinary record)."

Despite the omission, Cummings said the hiring process isn't flawed.

"It's important to note that our number one priority is to offer top quality service to the people of the NWT," he said.

"Any time a situation like this occurs, we're reminded of the risks of hiring people we don't know."

Without commenting directly on Bargen's case, Cummings said a past problem with substance abuse record wouldn't necessarily exclude a candidate from consideration.

Ability to change

"People have the ability to change. They shouldn't forever be penalized for something they did in the past," said Cummings.

Under the terms of Bargen's agreement with the Montana Medical Examiner's Board, he was required to enter a professional assistance program in the NWT to help him deal with the rigours of the job.

While the GNWT offers such programs, health officials could not reveal whether or not Bargen enroled due to issues surrounding confidentiality.