Hospital officials admit that the medical services plan is conducting its own review of billing procedures for the treatment, and that investigators are preparing a report based on billing audits of some physicians who provide the treatment at Riverview. He's been at Riverview for 15 years but isn't sure whether his contract will be renewed. Since going public with his concerns, he's been overwhelmed by the support he's received from the public, members of the judiciary and non- medical staff at the hospital. The unions have joined him in calling for an independent commission of inquiry, with an independent commissioner, such as a judge or a lawyer, who is arm's length from the ministry. A system is only as dysfunctional as the people who run it, he noted.
Mental health represents a microcosm of society as a whole, but in bureaucracy in particular.
An independent commission would be able to measure the level of dysfunction at the hospital administration level and again at the government level. They will have an entirely different view of how things should be done. It would also be the first step to improving mental health care in B.C. and that's what's important, he said. Dr. Paredes believes that his concerns are shared by about half the clinical staff, though publicly they remain silent. We have to live with that because that's life.