Dr. Jean Robert Ngola, a physician of Congolese descent who is at the centre of a COVID-19 controversy that rocked New Brunswick has disclosed that his life has been changed entirely. This is coming after months of harassment and racist remarks.
In a recent interview, he averred that the fallout from allegations he was “patient zero” responsible for an outbreak put him under an uncomfortable spotlight.
While stating that he wants the province to investigate his case to ensure nobody else endures a similar fate, Ngola said “Since May … everything has changed in my life”.
It would be recalled that on May 27, in the face of a growing outbreak in Campbellton, N.B., Premier Blaine Higgs referred to an “irresponsible” health-care worker and said the matter was being handled by the RCMP. The outbreak eventually affected 40 people and resulted in two deaths.
It was later reported that Ngola, a family doctor working in the northern New Brunswick town at the time, was the suspect in the RCMP’s investigation after his positive COVID-19 status was leaked on social media.
Speaking to newsmen, Ngola noted that a deluge of harassment and racist taunts followed both online and in person, as the investigation unfolded into an overnight trip he took to Quebec.
The Nigerian Canadian Newspaper gathered that before he tested positive, Ngola had driven to Montreal to pick up his daughter, because her mother was travelling to Africa to attend a funeral.
His lawyer, Joel Etienne, stated that on his way back to New Brunswick, he met with two colleagues in the Trois-Rivieres, Que., area before completing his trip. He did not self-isolate for two weeks when he returned, as provincial health guidelines direct, but Ngola has said that was consistent with the practice of other physicians at his hospital.
After it was revealed that Ngola was the health worker being investigated, he was suspended from his job at the hospital in Campbellton. Ngola said he had to disconnect his phone because people were harassing him, telling him to “go back to Africa” and calling him a “refugee.”
Narrating his ordeal, Ngola said although he had already been planning to move to Quebec, he hastened his departure because he didn’t feel safe in Campbellton.
“I was one of the good physicians, I think, in this small city. Everybody knew me in Campbellton,” he said. “But in my own city, I cannot work. Even now I cannot go to my house.”
However, Ngola noted that recently he has been relieved after receiving a letter of support from fellow doctors in Canada. According to him, it was a sign that he “wasn’t alone” as he continued to deal with the allegations against him. Though the RCMP investigation was dropped, Ngola still faces a charge of violating the province’s Emergency Measures Act and has a court date Oct. 26.
Remarking on the letter, Ngola said “It was so emotional, my tears flowed.”
It was disclosed that the letter was the work of Danusha Foster, an Ontario family doctor who followed Ngola’s case and felt he was “unfairly targeted.”
Foster said in an interview from Guelph, Ont., that she used an online social network to enlist hundreds of other signatories from across the country. She said the effort was intended as a private show of support, and the other physicians have not agreed to have their names made public.
Etienne and his associates are calling for a probe into the handling of Ngola’s case. After his initial positive test, Ngola had three tests come back negative, possibly indicating a false positive, his team argues, which would make it impossible for him to have triggered the outbreak.
In their statement, his lawyers said the province failed in its responsibilities to protect Ngola’s privacy and perform proper contact tracing for the Campbellton outbreak.
While stating that an inquiry is necessary to protect others who may find themselves in similar circumstances, Ngola said “We have to know what happened to prevent (this) for the future, because discrimination is not tolerable, not acceptable, in Canada”.
It was reported that he is now practising in Louiseville in central Quebec, and the hostility he faced in Campbellton has been replaced by a warm embrace.
Yvon Deshaies, the town’s mayor, who expressed happiness over Ngola’s arrival, said “He came here, and I’m happy about it. People who’ve had a chance to meet with him are happy with Dr. Ngola.”
