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News Release
Reform Group Formed
Letter published in Canadian Doctor, April 1979
May I, through the letters to the editor column, introduce to you
and your readers the Medical Reform Group (MRG), what it is, and
what we stand for.
The MRG is a recently formed organization of physicians and medical
students. Its base is in Toronto, and the principles and goals which
I will outline were decided on in meetings of the Toronto group.
However, there are interested physicians in most major centres in
Canada.
The MRG feels that there is a lot wrong with the present system
of health care delivery. We believe that the present organization
of health care workers is undesirably hierarchical. The whole system
is bureaucratic and heavily concentrated in large and expensive
institutions. This organization has led to an abuse of technology.
The medical profession has given disproportionately little attention
to the social situations out of which disease arises and consequently
to the preventative aspect medical care. Finally, the system is
at present hospital based and there is no setting outside the hospital
where the patient's health care needs can be dealt with in an integrated
way.
We also believe strongly access that access to a high quality of
health care should be treated as a right and not a privilege. Based
on this principle, we have some solutions to the above problems
which we would like to suggest.
We believe that the most rational way to organize health care is
around the community clinic. Such a clinic would financed by global
budget and all employees, including physicians, would be paid salary.
Decisions regarding resource allocation would be made upon consideration
of the expert advice of those who knew most about whatever problem
is being addressed and would made by the clinic staff and the community,
each group having roughly equal representation. The clinic would
attempt to provide a wide range of medical, social and educational
services at the centre and in the community.
The advantages to the community from such a reorganization are
fairly clear. I would like however, to emphasize the advantages
from the doctor's point of view. There would no longer be pressure
to see as many patients in as short a time as possible. There would
be direct access to consultation and educational activities within
the building where one worked. Social service and other aid to the
patient would be immediately available. As well, the doctor would
have security with regard to a guaranteed income, sick pay, paid
vacation, paid leave for educational activities, and an appropriate
pension plan, none of which are available at present.
The way we envisage the system, health insurance premiums would
be paid out of general tax revenue with no deterrent fees. This
coverage would include services presently taken care of by the provincial
insurance plans as well as drug and dental coverage.
Finally, we believe that it is crucial for physicians to have an
active role in working toward the elimination of conditions known
to foster or cause disease. These would include poverty, as well
as environmental and occupational hazards.
As a group, we are going to be working for the achievement of the
above goals. We of course would like to have as many doctors as
possible join us in our effort.
Readers of CANADIAN DOCTOR can get more information about
the MRG by writing to the Secretary at the address below.
Secretary, Medical Reform Group
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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