Kishore Baijoonauth

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Kishore Baijoonauth, a Lakeshore General Hospital (LGH) nurse, received a five-month suspension following the death of an 81-year old patient that was in his care in 2022.

According to a Quebec Order of Nurses Disciplinary Council ruling issued on March 1, it was determined that Baijjoonauth was negligent in his professional duties towards the patient.

Baijoonauth pled guilty to the disciplinary complaint made against him on January 24 after information contradicting his notes were shared in discovery. Baijoonauth had noted that the elderly patient was calm and did not suffer from chest pains or palpitations, meanwhile, the patient contacted his partner and relatives over a dozen times in a state of panic. In another mention in Baijoonauth’s notes, it reads that the patient did report having chest pains for which he gave him a Tylenol.

The patient was known for having heart problems. He died on January 16, 2022 at 3:30 a.m. after being admitted to the emergency room a day prior.

According to the disciplinary report and his own admittance, the nurse did not carry out the assessment and follow-up required according to the patient’s state of health and did not inform the doctor of the change in the patient’s condition.

Baijoonauth pled guilty to the disciplinary complaint made against him and has been suspended and ordered to pay all of the expenses surrounding the complaint investigation. It was noted in the report that he was very remorseful and apologized to the patient’s family. Prior to the events that led to the disciplinary action taken against him, Baijoonauth practised as a nurse for two years before the incident and had no history of negligence.

Health reporter, Aaron Derfel, for the Montreal Gazette, broke the story of six patients, including the aforementioned, that triggered an investigation ordered by Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé in 2023.

The report from the investigation listed 135 recommendations to improve the hospital, including better training and working conditions for hospital staff. It also includes building a new emergency and critical care unit. As of last fall, the construction of a modular building began and the new building is expected to be completed by 2025. n