Group of organizations says doctors should evaluate health care in the same way they assess patients.

Vancouver (17 August 2007) - A group of organizations, including the B.C. Health Coalition, is calling on the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) to adopt an 'evidence-based' approach to health policy similar to the principle doctors routinely apply to the practice of medicine.

The organizations, which also include the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), the Canadian Federation of Nurses, the Council of Canadians and Profit is Not the Cure, have prepared a joint response [1] to a recently released CMA paper advocating private sector practices that undermine public health care.

The response says the CMA document, Medicare Plus: Toward a Sustainable Publicly Funded Health Care System in Canada, would push the country toward a two-tiered health care system by promoting such practices as double-dipping and private care.

"Doctors rightly take pride in practicing evidence-based medicine when treating their patients," the group says.

"It would be natural to think they would apply the same principle in public policy, especially where health care is concerned. Unfortunately, Medicare Plus clearly misses the mark. Rather than supporting market reforms that would worsen current access, CMA representatives should look for public solutions for the public system," it says.

The CMA paper was released in advance of its annual meeting, scheduled August 19-22 in Vancouver. The coalition is organizing a series of events to coincide with the meeting. One includes a showing of the Michael Moore movie SiCKO, documenting shortcomings within the largely-private U.S. health care system. NUPGE

More information:

• Joint response to CMA's 'Medicare Plus' paper [1]
• Michael Moore's new film SiCKO [2]
• Profit is Not the Cure [3]
• CMA health care policies are undermining the common good [4]
• B.C. Health Coalition [5]