Patients of Toronto gynecologist linked to infection risk say they flagged negative experiences years earlier

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.

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.

The CPSO says it's investigating Park in relation to infection control issues in her practice.