Dr. Teresa Sezibanyak was expelled from Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops in 2021

The doctor who was fired after refusing the COVID-19 vaccine lost her attempt to regain her privileges at the hospital.

The hospital appeal board found that Dr. Teresa Sezibanyak's refusal to take the shot in 2021 amounted to neglect of her obligations as a physician at Royal Inland Hospital, and the decision to take action regarding her privileges was appropriate.

Sezibanyak's contract with Interior Health (IH) was terminated on November 16, 2021, after she refused the vaccine, which was required to continue working in British Columbia. Her privileges, which granted her the right to provide care at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, were officially revoked by the health authority in August 2022.

"The appellant [Sezibanyak] says that IH is required to respect her exercise of rights under the Charter," wrote the appeal committee in a decision issued on November 20 (new window).

The implicit meaning is that in order to respect her decision, IH must not take any steps that make the appellant responsible for the consequences of that decision. Having the right to make the decision, recognizing your right to do so, or respecting it does not mean bearing responsibility for the consequences.

In other words, the decision says the Interior Health did not challenge Sezibanyak's right to refuse the vaccine, but held her accountable for the fact that this choice made her unable to work under provincial law.

Although the appeal board will not reinstate Sezibanyak’s privileges, it found that the health authority should have suspended them rather than revoked them in August 2022, saying IH should have waited to revoke if she was not vaccinated in time for her upcoming annual review.

When asked to comment on the case, Lee Turner, Sezibanyak’s lawyer, told CBC Network that they are still reviewing the decision.