By Shaun Penner

2016 Incident

Grande Prairie surgeon found guilty of unprofessional conduct in noose incident

Jan 13, 2021 | 10:29 AM

A Grande Prairie surgeon has been found guilty of unprofessional conduct by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA), following an incident in 2016 at the QE II Hospital in Grande Prairie where he hung and fashioned a rope in the form of a noose on an operating room door.

The CPSA says in a release issued Wednesday morning that the hearing tribunal, which held a disciplinary hearing on October 16, 2020, found the rope was intended for “anyone misbehaving in the hospital” by Dr. Wynand Wessels, an orthopedic surgeon at the QE II.

“Based on the location of the rope, and the position of power Dr. Wessels held, the Hearing Tribunal found he acted with the intention of sending a message that would be reasonably interpreted as intimidating or threatening,” says the CPSA.

The incident was first uncovered by the CBC back in July of 2020, which suggested the noose in question was directed towards a surgical assistant, who is black and of African descent.

The tribunal decided enough evidence existed to prove that these actions contravened the Health Professions Act, the Code of Ethics & Professionalism and CPSA’s Standards of Practice, and harmed the integrity of the profession.

However, the regulatory body deemed there was not enough evidence to suggest the surgeon’s decision was motivated by racism or had intent to create a racist symbol.

Dr. Wessels, who hails from South Africa, admitted to the tribunal he did in fact hang the noose on June 24, 2016, but that the knotted rope was not intended as a symbol of racism.

He also claimed the knot taped to the door was not directed at any specific individual, but instead anyone who was not a team player.

In the CPSA’s decision, it is noted Dr. Wessels described his history of making knots when he was a member of the scouts as a child.

He said there was an exercise used in scouts if a group was not working as a team and getting along, that two people would have to join either their arms or legs with rope, and they would do the next exercise as a team.

As for the racist connotations of the noose, Dr. Wessels told the tribunal because of restrictions placed on foreign media by the South African government during his childhood, he did not fully appreciate or understand the North American significance of a hangman’s noose and its ties to violent and racist acts.

Dr. Wessels also told the tribunal he had experienced issues with doctors, specifically in the orthopedics department, refusing to follow the policies of administration, which he believed showed a lack of cohesiveness within the team.

In the tribunal’s decision, it says on the day of the incident, Dr. Wessels performed a procedure shortly after placing the noose on the door. After being told by someone that was not a good idea, Wessels claimed he went and spoke with his manager and admitted it was a wrong thing to do.

Dr. Wessels told the tribunal that he spoke with the surgical assistant and asked if he had seen the rope. Wessels claimed the surgical assistant told him he did not see the rope, and that Wessels explained the rope was not directed towards him.

However, the tribunal read out a letter from the surgical assistant in question written in 2019. The letter stated he and Dr. Wessels did not, in fact, have an open discussion about the noose and that he felt threatened by the act.

Dr. Wessels said he made himself available to have further conversation at the time of the incident, and that the letter was written by the surgical assistant after the fact.

With that, the tribunal found that there is not enough evidence, on a balance of probabilities, to prove Dr. Wessels was motivated by racism in this incident.

“However, regardless of Dr. Wessels’ intention, hanging a rope in this shape in a common area of the hospital demonstrated a failure to treat his colleagues with dignity and respect.”

The board adds they view the action as more than just a team building exercise, and that the noose could reasonably be viewed as threatening and intimidating and would not be reasonably interpreted as a message of team building.

“The Hearing Tribunal found Dr. Wessels was motivated by the discord in the hospital and hung the rope on the door with the intention of sending a message to one or more individuals.”

The CPSA says the hearing tribunal will reconvene at a later date to determine any sanctions and penalties against Dr. Wessels.