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News Release
The Medical Reform Group
March 17, 1979
The Medical Reform Group is a new Canadian organization of physicians
and medical students. The group was formed to provide a voice for
socially concerned doctors whose opinions were not represented by
traditional medical associations.
Our programme is predicated upon the belief that access to high
quality medical care should be a right, rather than a privilege.
We believe the present organization of health care workers is undesirably
hierarchical. The health care delivery system is hospital based,
with no other outside facility for integrated patient care. Administration
of the system is overly bureaucratic. Neither patient nor physician
has a real say in policy making.
The medical community has tended to ignore the social roots of
disease, and this has resulted in insufficient stress on preventative
medicine in both medical education and practice.
We believe that a health care delivery system organized around
community clinics could help solve some of these problems. Such
clinics could operate under a global budget, be democratically run
by staff and community members, and provide a wide range of medical,
social, and educational services. The equally valuable contribution
of all clinic workers would be recognized.
Advantages for the physician under such a system would include:
a direct say in local resource allocation; the security of a guaranteed
income; absence of pressure to see as many patients as possible
in the shortest possible time; paid holiday, sick, and educational
leave; an appropriate paid pension plan; availability of essential
referral, consultative, and educational services in the same clinic
building. None of these is part of the usual practice at present.
We believe that provincial health insurance premiums should be
paid out of the general tax revenue, and should include drug and
dental plans as well as those services presently covered.
Finally, we are committed to the elimination of social situations
known to foster disease, such as poverty, and environmental and
occupational hazards.
We welcome any correspondence and help. If you would like to receive
information, or join, contact:
MEDICAL REFORM GROUP
P.O. Box 366, Station J
Toronto, Ont. M4J 4Y8
Published in CMA JOURNAL/MARCH 17, 1979/Vol. 120
Subject Headings: Abortion
Rights – Community
Health – Community
Health Centres – Drug
Substitution – Epidemiology
– Epidemiology/Community
Medicine – Health
Administration – Health
Care Budgets – Health
Care Cost Containment – Health
Care Costs – Health
Care Delivery – Health
Care Finance & Fund-Raising – Health
Care in Canada – Health
Care in Ontario – Health
Care in the U.K. – Health
Care in the U.S. – Health
Care Myths – Health
Care Reform – Health
Care Resources – Health
Care Services – Health
Care Workers – Health
Clinics – Health
Determinants – Health
Economics – Health
Expenditures – Health
Issues – Health
Policy – Health
Policy/Seniors – Health
Service Organizations – Health/Social
Justice Issues – Health
Statistics – Health/Strategic
Planning – History
– Hospitals
– Labour
Medicine – Medical
Associations – Medical
Costs/Foreign – Medical
Education – Medical
Ethics – Medical
Human Resources – Medical
Personnel – Medical
Research Funding – Medicare
– Medication
Use – Medication
Use/Seniors – NAFTA/Health
– Occupational
Health & Safety – Patients'
Rights – Pharmaceuticals
– Physician
Compensation – Physician
Human Resources – Pro-Choice
Issues – Public
Health – Publications/Health
– Social
Policy – Women's
Health
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