Death of Karl Tremblay | The good doctor and the rules

On its own, the open letter signed by the D^D Marie-Anne Archambault, the day after the death of singer Karl Tremblay, had undoubtedly done more to improve the image of doctors than any advertising campaign. Unfortunately, the affair took a bad turn.

It was a magnificent text¹published in The duty, on November 17. One of the most beautiful tributes paid to the singer of Cowboys Fringants – and God knows there have been some. In the surge, this text stood out from the crowd. No doubt because it came from the heart.

The D^D Archambault is a hemato-oncologist at Pierre-Le Gardeur hospital. Four years ago, she was the one who told Karl Tremblay the worst news: incurable cancer. She, too, who followed the singer in his last moments. She, again, who cried for him.

Seven months later, astonishment: we learned that this text imbued with humanity earned her a call to order by the College of Physicians of Quebec.

The Office of the College Trustee summoned the D^D Archambault on November 27, the day before the national ceremony in honor of Karl Tremblay, “for having disclosed elements of a patient’s file without authorization,” Marie-Annick Lépine, the singer’s widow, revealed on Facebook on Monday .

Thousands of Internet users were outraged. The text had, however, been approved before its publication in The duty, not only by Marie-Annick Lépine, but also by Karl Tremblay’s parents, by his sister, by his brothers-in-law, by his mother-in-law and by his friend. In short, the D^D Archambault made sure to have the consent of almost everyone before putting pen to paper.

This open letter had the effect of a balm for Quebecers who were mourning Karl Tremblay. For those, too, who had had to go through the same nightmare.

When the doctor spoke of the “pain like a firebrand” insinuating itself into the marrow and making “unbearable even the touch of a caress”, many Quebecers recognized the indescribable pain of their loved ones, in the last days of the ‘agony.

This is why, I believe, Facebook exploded with indignation. How dare the College attack this doctor who had dared to step out of line to touch our hearts?

The answer to this question is not simple, especially since the College of Physicians remains silent: its investigations are strictly confidential. For its part, the D^D Archambault declined to comment.

The College is a professional order whose mandate is to protect the public, in particular by ensuring compliance with the code of ethics of physicians. We are very happy that he is there to crack down on gurus, exploiters and abusers of all kinds.

But the D^D Archambault does not fit this profile. Quite the opposite, in fact. “This woman was our guardian angel. The best doctor we have met,” wrote Marie-Annick Lépine. Last summer, when Karl Tremblay was suffering and his doctors were on vacation, the D^D Archambault took the singer under his wing. “I told myself that I would try as best I could to relieve and support,” she wrote in her open letter.

“When we found out that it was she who had taken care of Karl Tremblay, we were happy to know that he had the best to care for him,” a fellow doctor at the Pierre-Le Gardeur hospital told me. , who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals. “He is the hemato-oncologist with the greatest humanity that I know. » The medical community, she adds, is angry with the College. “We wonder where the protection of the public is, at this point…”

Indeed, we wonder. Why did the College choose to attack the D^D Archambault? Doesn’t he have better things to do? Real rascals to bring to heel?

The answer can be summed up in two words: professional secrecy.

The reason why the text of D^D Archambault was also extraordinary, because he really was: extraordinary. Unpublished. He recounted the way in which Karl Tremblay had faced the illness, his stubbornness in returning to the stage despite tedious treatments.

However, doctors do not have the right to reveal confidential information contained in the medical files of their patients, even if they are famous, even if they are dead.

It’s in the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. It’s in the code of ethics for doctors². In his pain, the D^D Archambault may have forgotten it. Even after the death of the patient, a doctor is not released from professional secrecy. Even if the whole earth agrees with him. The consent of the patient himself is required. And if this patient dies, he has the right to take his secret to his grave.

It might sound silly, but those are the rules. And the College exists to enforce them. The idea, again, is to protect the public. Prevent, for example, your medical file from being published in the newspaper the day after your death…

The College could have focused on the real problems, Internet users protest. But another rule is that if the trustee receives a formal complaint, he cannot simply turn a blind eye. At the very least, he must open an investigation.

Let us clarify that the hemato-oncologist was not disbarred or sanctioned in any way. Contrary to what Marie-Annick Lépine’s Facebook post suggests, she did not undergo a “trial” either, since after investigation, the Syndic’s Office chose not to file a complaint with the disciplinary council. She was only summoned to call her to order.

Nevertheless, writes the singer’s widow: the D^D Archambault was “broken by this adventure”.

We wish him to rebuild as soon as possible. Quebec cannot afford to do without a good doctor.

1. Read the open letter signed by the D^D Marie-Anne Archambault

2. Read a text from the College of Physicians of Quebec