Sonny Saggar, MD, the emergency room chief and chief strategy officer at St. Louis-based St. Alexius Hospital was fired Sept. 11, according to the St. Louis Business Journal.
Dr. Saggar was fired by a bankruptcy trustee, according to the report. St. Alexius Hospital entered the bankruptcy process in December 2019 when its owner Americore Holdings filed for Chapter 11 protection.
The bankruptcy trustee, Carol Fox, said Dr. Saggar was fired because the hospital's need for a chief strategy officer "has diminished," according to the St. Louis Business Journal. However, Dr. Saggar claims he was let go because he alerted state health regulators to "two preventable deaths" that occurred at the hospital in July.
This isn't the first time Dr. Saggar has been terminated. He previously served as CEO of St. Alexius Hospital. In March, after being at the helm for roughly one month, the bankruptcy trustee suspended the CEO position. Dr. Saggar returned to the hospital March 30 as its chief strategy officer and emergency room chief.
Dr. Saggar's most recent departure comes as St. Alexius is working its way through the bankruptcy process. The bankruptcy court approved the sale of the hospital in July, but closing the deal has been delayed due to an investigation into quality of care issues.