Years before some 2,500 patients of a Toronto gynecologist were warned about a possible infection risk linked to improperly cleaned tools, Rachael Millanta filed a complaint about her experience at the clinic.
After CBC Toronto was first to report on Dr. Esther Park’s office where Toronto Public Health said earlier this month that cleaning protocols were not being followed, several patients have come forward to share their negative encounters with Park, many expressing their frustration that their voices weren’t being heard.
Millanta was one of them.
Millanta said she filed a complaint with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) in April 2021. She said she was asked personal questions by Dr. Park with the door open and told to undress from the waist down while the door remained open.
CBC News has seen the documents filed to the CPSO. In her complaint, Millanta wrote that when she asked for a gown or covering, she was told she should have brought her own from home.
“She told me to cover myself with my clothes…I was wearing tights at that time, so that was not particularly great, but I didn’t really know what to do,” Millanta recalled in an interview with CBC Toronto.
After that, Millanta said she was given a painful internal examination that she did not consent to, which caused her to bleed. Millanta said she was also given a prescription with no information on what it was or any details of her medical condition.
Millanta said she called her mother in tears afterward and filed a complaint with the CPSO right away.
Complaints about ‘feeling rushed or not feeling fully informed’
She said she received a response from the college several months later, in which Park refuted most of Millanta’s claims.
“The Respondent says that while she regrets the Complainant is unsatisfied with her level of professionalism, she disagrees with this concern,” the document read. Park’s response in the document also claimed to be clear about the examination process and explanation of the prescription.
The college’s decision, dated Sept. 21, 2021, included issuing “advice on professional communication and empathetic, sensitive engagement; that it is not appropriate to leave it to the patient to request draping or to bring it from home…to ensure a complete gynecological history and assessment and that documentation is comprehensive and adequately reflect details of the consultation.”
In its response to Millanta, the CPSO noted there had been multiple complaints against Park.
“The Respondent’s history of prior complaints at the College includes matters where patients have conveyed sometimes feeling rushed or not feeling fully informed by the Respondent,” the documents said.
CPSO says it can’t share number of complaints
The CPSO says it’s investigating Park in relation to infection control issues in her practice.
CBC Toronto asked the college for the number of complaints filed against Park. A spokesperson said they couldn’t provide that information due to confidentiality restrictions. Further details on the college’s physician register show Park’s licence has been restricted since December 2024.
CBC Toronto contacted the clinic, but a staff member said Park would not comment.
The office’s answering machine says the doctor is retiring, and that the clinic will be closing in April. The CPSO said it can continue an investigation while a physician remains registered with the college, as well as after they resign or allows their registration to lapse.
“Patients can also file a complaint with CPSO after a physician ceases to practice where the concern or conduct relates to the time when the physician was a member,” the college said in a statement.
Sandra Cole, another former patient of Park, stood outside the clinic with a sign this week. Her goal was to warn patients, and demand accountability, she said.
“We need to start exposing these doctors and we need to start exposing the College of Physicians and Surgeons and their lack of accountability once and for all,” she said, adding that she felt dismissed by the doctor and had concerns around Park not changing her gloves.
The CPSO said in a statement to CBC News that it “takes all concerns seriously and is committed to ensuring the safety of patients.”
Lawyer points to legal options
Kristina Maitland, an associate medical malpractice lawyer at Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers LLP, says if a patient is not satisfied with a CPSO decision, there’s also the legal route.
“So if a patient feels that the complaint process hasn’t gotten them the resolution they were hoping for or or the closure they want, a lawsuit can be sometimes a better option because it is more focused on ensuring that there’s the recovery for the plaintiffs themselves, for the specific damage they suffered,” Maitland said.
Maitland said it’s important that patients seek a legal opinion as soon as possible after an incident to make sure they’re aware of their options and avoid any issues with limitation periods.
Toronto Public Health says the clinic corrected the infection control issues and that it had no ongoing concerns after Oct. 10.
But for patients like Millanta, the negative experience she had remains with her.
“It was without question the most traumatic experience I’ve had with any medical professional, possibly anyone, at all.”