A witch hunt against alternative practitioners?
CMAJ 1999;160:1129
See response from: C. Gray; J.M. Bonn
Charlotte Gray writes that the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario insists it does not target doctors who offer alternative therapies and that very few of them have been referred to its Discipline Committee.1 I can think of about 8 such physicians who have been referred for discipline and censured over the last 10 years. Considering our small numbers — probably 150 at most in Ontario — this constitutes quite a large proportion.
The case involving Dr. Jozef Krop, which is mentioned in the article, is a particularly shameful example of how the college, in its fervour to suppress alternative medicine, has dug itself into a deep legal morass. I am ashamed to support a college that ignores completely favourable evidence from the defence and still purports to "protect the public and guide the profession."
In the article, Registrar John Bonn is quoted as saying, "If one of our licensed doctors chooses to practise alternative medicine that's fine so long as he sticks to the ethical standards and practises as we expect of our physicians." If that is the case, then the college's action against Krop should have been dropped. I no longer want to continue funding witch-hunt activity like this at the whim of some overzealous bureaucrat.
The college's problems run much deeper than it would like to believe or is willing to admit. I'll have to see some significant changes in protocol and behaviour before it will get my vote of confidence.
Edward Leyton, MD
Kingston, Ont.
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Reference
- Gray C. Ontario's kinder, gentler college tries to leave old-boys' image behind. CMAJ 1998;159(7):834-6.
