INUVIK
After a decade-long career in Inuvik, a doctor says he is being forced out under mysterious circumstances.

Dr. Peter Boronowski says he is saddened to leave Inuvik and other communities in the Beaufort Delta, where he lived for a decade. - photo courtesy of Peter Boronowski

"I've been here 10 years doing locums, but doing locums eight months of the year," said Dr. Peter Boronowski, who maintains a residence in town. "It was nice, I became part of the community."

But now he said he has been taken off the schedule and told there have been complaints about him.

"The hospital administration said there had been complaints about me, unprofessional behaviour," he said.

Boronowski said when he asked for more details about those complaints, the hospital's administration declined to provide them. Only when he hired a lawyer did they write back to him, although he said the letter contained little of substance.

Since then, Boronowski said he was informed the requirements for locums have changed and that he has seen his position in obstetrics and anaesthesia for the Inuvik Regional Hospital advertised online.

"I asked the nurses who are on the obstetrics rotation if I had every put anyone in danger, ever made anyone feel uncomfortable, every put any babies in danger, and they said no," he said. "I've been practising over 40 years, delivered over 2,000 babies. That's a long time."

Darelene Burden has been Boronowski's patient for nearly a decade and said she was dismayed to hear of his leaving.

"He was a fabulous doctor," she told the Drum. "I was so saddened to hear he's not coming back."

More than anything, Burden said she resented the lack of time she and other patients were given to transfer to another doctor.

"Whoever knew it was coming, they should have given him time to let his patients know he wasn't coming back, to transfer us to other doctors," she said. "I've been here over 16 years and he's the best doctor I've seen come to Inuvik."

Inuvik Regional Hospital chief executive officer Arlene Jorgensen said she could not comment on the matter because it pertains to personnel.

Boronowski, for his part, has taken out space in the Drum and News/North to thank his patients and Northern communities for his time spent serving them. He said he felt as if he had been found guilty, but didn't know of what.

"It saddens me to leave," he said. "I would like to leave without having my reputation maligned."

Boronowski said that although he had eased off teaching certain techniques in Inuvik after coming under scrutiny, he recently received a teaching award from his professional organization.

"It just doesn't make sense what's going on in Inuvik compared to the rest of the country," he said.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.