The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) has a new Chief of Staff as the former top doctor faces a pair of assault charges.
On Monday morning, CKHA Board Chair Deb Crawford told CK News Today that former CKHA Chief of Staff Dr. Pervez Faruqi will be taking a leave of absence from his leadership role and Dr. Zeke Milkovic will be the new Acting Chief of Staff at CKHA as of February 1, 2024.
Crawford added Dr. Faruqi has not lost his hospital privileges and will continue working as a Paediatrician at CKHA.
CKHA CEO Lori Marshall said the hospital has a professional staff bylaw that guides their actions, but wouldn't say whether Dr. Faruqi requested the leave of absence or the hospital recommended it, citing CKHA doesn't comment on human resources or personnel issues.
Marshall also said the leave of absence doesn't affect Dr. Faruqi's private medical practice.
"There's nothing disciplinary in what was shared. This leave of absence does not impact on his medical practice and his duties as a Paediatrician at Chatham-Kent Health Alliance," said Marshall.
Dr. Milkovic will also continue his role as Chief and Medical Director of Family Medicine at CKHA.
Dr. Pervez Faruqi was charged with assault on or about August 16, 2023 and assault described as choking, suffocating or strangling between January 1, 2023 and January 16, 2023.
The charges were laid on August 30, 2023 in Chatham, according to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.
Dr. Faruqi's bail conditions include notifying police of any change to his address, not communicating, directly or indirectly, with unidentified persons, and not going to a specified and unidentified address with specified exceptions.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
Dr. Faruqi has been CKHA's Chief of Medical Staff since January 1, 2017.