Doctors in Medicine Hat hold a vigil honouring the life of Dr. Walter Reynolds, a Red Deer Physician who was assaulted inside his practice Monday ( Tiffany Goodwein/ CHAT NEWS)

By Tiffany Goodwein

Medicine Hat doctors hold vigil for slain Red Deer physician

Aug 14, 2020 | 9:14 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB- Doctors held a moment of silence outside the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital to honour the life of 45-year-old Dr. Walter Reynolds.

Reynolds was assaulted inside the Village Walk-in Clinic in Red Deer Monday and later died in hospital, leaving behind a wife and two young girls.

The tragic incident, sending shock and sadness throughout the medical community, including here in Medicine Hat.

“ You think about his children, I have two girls same as him, and the thought that last night they didn’t have dad to hold, and his wife didn’t have him to hold, there are no words, there are no words for that feeling” Dr. Gloria Tiansh said.

Dr. Tiansh is a family physician in Medicine Hat. She called the incident unprecedented and said while she generally feels safe inside her clinic, the incident has prompted discussions on how to improve safety within her own facility.

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“ I’ve come to love my practice, my panel, it feels like a family, my patients it feels like a home. I worry though being unexpected, that anything can happen. It is a very mixed feeling,” she said, noting that much of the patient-doctor relationship is one built on trust.

“We stay alone with a patient, with a stranger is basically what you are doing, sometimes with a stranger sometimes you get to know the patient, but you are still alone with a patient in a room so it is based on trust.” she said.

Dr. Nicoelle Wanner helped organize the vigil. She like many doctors were moved by the tragedy.

“I have to say that by far the majority of my visits that I have had with my patients have always been really been lovely and certainly no concerns as far of my own safety goes but you know I think we have all had at least one of those occasions where you think twice, but you know you hear of tragic things happening all the time and when it hits amongst a colleague, even if you don’t know them personally it is a little too close for comfort,” Wanner said.

While the doctors suspect the incident may trigger a push for greater safety measures, Wanner said if changes do occur, she hopes that it won’t jeopardize the critical doctor-patient relationship.

“I really hope it wouldn’t have to come to a point where we would need security or something like that because I think unfortunately that would totally change the dynamic, and as family physicians I’ve always been incredibly grateful for the community I have, to sit with my patients and learn their stories and I don’t want those really positive experiences to be sacrificed,” she said.

About a dozen doctors took part in the vigil Friday evening.

The suspect in Reynolds’ death, 54-year-old Deng Mabiour, is charged with first-degree murder, as well as assault with a weapon and assaulting a police officer.