A longtime Winnipeg dermatologist was forced to reduce the scope of his practice after pursuing a relationship with a female patient and seeing another without a required chaperone while his office was normally closed.
In a June 30 decision, a College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba inquiry panel said it was concerned with Dr. Earl Minuk’s level of contrition and future compliance.
“Dr. Minuk’s misconduct is serious and concerning,” the disciplinary decision said. “As noted in the submissions of CPSM, Dr. Minuk’s misconduct involved professional boundary violations with patients, which strike at the core of the trust that is expected in the physician-patient relationship.”
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Dr. Earl Minuk administers laser treatment to a patient in 2009.
Minuk, during clinical encounters, offered gifts and trips while pursuing a personal, romantic or sexual relationship with a female patient, referred to as “Patient B,” the decision said.
He sent inappropriate text messages, such as asking her out on dates multiple times, even after she rejected his requests, and made one or more phone calls to ask her on a date.
The incidents happened between September 2021 and February 2022.
A separate violation occurred when Minuk saw a female patient, referred to as “Patient A,” in his clinic on a Sunday, when it is normally closed, and without a chaperone present Nov. 20, 2022.
At a May 26 hearing, Minuk admitted to breaching the college’s code of ethics, standards of practice, and practice directions, the decision said.
It said Minuk acknowledged his communication with “Patient B” was improper, and his failure to disclose certain text messages between them was inadvertent.
Minuk’s lawyer told the college Patient A had an emergency medical condition, and the breach in that situation was unintentional.
In a joint recommendation between the college and Minuk, the physician was reprimanded and agreed to cease practising medicine as of June 30 except for laser treatment of vascular lesions, and assessment, management and treatment of moles, skin cancer and pre-cancerous lesions.
Minuk, who has a clinic in St. James, was ordered to pay $10,000 in costs for the college’s investigation and inquiry.
A letter, dated May 11, was published on his website to inform his patients that the scope of his practice would change July 1.
The letter did not mention the disciplinary decision, the breaches he admitted to or details of the incidents. The letter encouraged patients with dermatologic concerns such as acne, psoriasis and eczema to find a new dermatologist.
The panel concluded the restrictions on Minuk’s scope of practice held him accountable and take his prior history of “boundary violations” into consideration, while serving as a deterrent.
The panel said the incidents were not isolated because Minuk has a history of professional boundary violations that led to a June 2022 undertaking that required him to have a female attendant present as a chaperone at all times for any encounter with a female patient.
The undertaking was amended in December 2022 to forbid him from personally communicating and meeting with patients outside of his office or facilities where he provides treatment, except for situations involving patient health issues that cannot be reasonably dealt with in a regularly scheduled appointment.
Another amendment, in April 2023, required Minuk to display conspicuous signs in his office and examinations rooms to inform patients of the chaperone requirements.
The decision outlined multiple past investigations that were triggered by complaints by patients or staff.
An investigation committee emphasized clear, respectful communication with patients after Minuk was accused of abruptly ending a 2009 appointment in a rude and unprofessional manner with a woman who was dissatisfied with her upper lip wrinkle treatment.
Minuk completed a self-directed learning program after a female patient said he commented on her being naked while she showed him a rash in her pubic area in October 2014.
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He agreed not to have any closed-door meetings with staff members after a former employee from 2018 to 2020 said he made inappropriate comments that made her feel “significant discomfort.”
An investigation that prompted the undertaking looked into concerns about inappropriate communication and/or conduct with two female patients in December 2020.
The decision said a psychiatrist sought out by Minuk afterward provided recommendations on how to address patient safety concerns.
Another investigation took place after a female patient with alopecia accused Minuk in October 2021 of making insensitive comments to her about her hair loss and treating her in an unkind manner.
chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca
Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris.
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