A fired Indiana physician is suing her former employer, Lebanon, Ind.-based Witham Memorial Hospital, alleging she was illegally discriminated against after becoming ill due to dangerous office conditions, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported July 25.
Kimberly Gatzimos, MD, was employed at the hospital from 2000 until her Jan. 21 termination, according to the report.
According to the suit, she became ill with histoplasmosis, an infection caused by breathing in spores of fungus, and suffered from night sweats, fatigue, learning deficits, cognitive dysfunction and confusion, among other symptoms. According to the Journal, the complaint did not say when the illness started or spell out the dangerous conditions in her office.
Witham Memorial Hospital refused to provide accommodations for her illness, Dr. Gatzimos said, and she is pursuing a claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act and will file a gender discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, according to the publication.
Dr. Gatzimos said she was paid substantially less than male physicians and was treated unfairly, according to the publication. For example, she was "routinely criticized" for not promptly completing patient charts, while male physicians were provided extra nursing staff that allowed them to perform the task, according to her lawsuit.
Witham Memorial declined to comment on the allegations, according to the report.