A hospital in Bellingham, WA is confirming its fired a doctor who’s been critical of its lack of protective gear for its own staff in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, reports the Seattle Times.
Doctor Ming Lin of PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center said on his Facebook page that he has all the support he needs from his family and said he will be “laying low for a while.”
Lin has worked for the hospital for some 17 years and has received wide support for his critical comments.
On March 15, Lin posted a letter on his Facebook page addressed to the Chief Medical Officer at his hospital.
“PeaceHealth is so far behind when it comes to protecting patients and the community but even worse when it comes to protecting the staff,” he wrote.
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He went on to list seven concerns including a lack of triage for patients to see if they have any risk for coronavirus before they enter the hospital and having patients wait in the ER and potentially exposing other patients to COVID-19.
Lin continued to speak out even after he says the hospital warned him to tone down his social media posts and to stop talking to reporters.
This interview was published just this past Thursday.
“Unless I am terminated and not wanted I will continue to show up to work in the Emergency Room to continue to serve,” he said on Facebook prior to his dismissal.
The hospital said it would have no comment.
Lin isn’t the only hospital worker who has been critical of the lack of protective gear for hospital workers.
Several unions have also spoken out.
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RE: ER doctor fired after critical comments about lack of protection from coronavirus for hospital staff: Does the doctor have a case for a wrongful termination lawsuit? Or join a class action lawsuit?