RIH Saboteur No Prophet

(Aired on June 2, 2010)

The fact that police haven't caught the person who deliberately sabotaged surgical tools at Royal Inland Hospital is unfortunate for several different reasons.  First, the crime itself is serious.  Had the tools made their way into the surgical theatre, they could have caused an infection.  That infection could have had serious health consequences for the patient.  Of course, the likelihood of that actually happening is extremely remote.

But maybe the more disappointing aspect of the story is that the person who did this is probably thinking that the point was made without any consequences.  It's clear that this was done to make a point.  Maybe about access to the central sterilization department or maybe about the failure to replace archaic equipment.  It doesn't really matter, because there is a way to make a point, and there is a way not to make a point.  RCMP and hospital authorities refuse to disclose how the tools were contaminated, presumably because whatever happened would have reinforced the culprit's objective.  Credit to the police for doing that because now the point is lost in the method of delivery.  All we know is that it was a criminal act that theoretically could have caused serious harm.

It looks like the culprit here has essentially gotten away with sabotaging surgical equipment.  If anything can temper the disappointment, it's that the person responsible looks less like a protester or a prophet and more like a pinhead.