MD's murder linked to disability forms CMAJ 1997;157:1191 © 1997 Canadian Medical Association The Ontario Medical Association says a Toronto physician was murdered Sept. 23 because medical eligibility rules for some government assistance programs require doctors to determine access to the programs. "For carrying out these responsibilities," says the OMA, "Dr. Bernard Lau was murdered." Dr. Lau, a 1982 University of Toronto graduate, was murdered by a man who claimed he had been "ruined by the system" after being forced off provincial welfare rolls. The man, who also murdered his landlord, later killed himself. After the deaths, the OMA called on the province to change provincial disability forms so that physicians are not forced to determine whether a patient is eligible for disability or other benefits. The association said this would "place responsibility for determining eligibility where it should lie -- with the institution providing the benefits." Send a letter to the editor responding to this article Envoyez une lettre à la rédaction au sujet de cet article | CMAJ November 1, 1997 (vol 157, no 9) / JAMC le 1er novembre 1997 (vol 157, no 9) |