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Canada home to world's first association for disabled doctors
"If you stick your tongue out at me, you're wasting your time," says Dr. Ashok Muzumdar, a visually impaired Charlottetown physiatrist. With that joke, he tosses aside the cloak of awkwardness that usually blocks all discussion of physical disabilities. He's trying to do the same thing nationally as founder and president of the world's first association of disabled physicians.
The inaugural meeting of the 30-member Canadian Association of Physicians with Disabilities (CAPD) was held Aug. 13 in Saskatoon during the CMA annual meeting. CAPD was the culmination of 4 years' work by Muzumdar, director of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. He developed diffuse retinal degeneration 15 years ago.
Muzumdar thought it would be useful for disabled physicians to compare notes on how they manage clinical practice and legal issues, and to share technology, offer emotional support and lobby for changes to improve their treatment and well-being. When he discovered that no organization existed, he got CMA help to form one.
Members' disabilities range from visual and hearing impairment to handicaps related to multiple sclerosis, arthritis and spinal cord injury. "Sometimes people are quite imprisoned by their disabilities," says Muzumdar, who was elected president at the inaugural meeting. "But we all have abilities and that's where our emphasis is."
He says one of the most serious problems for disabled doctors is the issue of employability. Some members can't find work, while others are underemployed. A case in point is Dr. Lise Couturier, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis just as her internship ended in 1987. She now works in human resources with Quebec's provincial police, although the work has little to do with her medical degree. And that hurts. "This wasn't my career plan."
Couturier worked as a family physician for only 3 years before she had to quit in 1992 for health reasons. Two years later, ß-interferon treatment gave her a new lease on life; she hasn't had a flare-up since. Still, the Collège des médecins du Québec wouldn't allow her to start practising again. "They didn't think I was ready."
She spent her time volunteering and earning diplomas in social administration and occupational health. Finally, in 1999, she tried to do a preceptorship, but the college stopped her after only 10 days, saying her skills were too rusty. "They should have given me a chance to restart earlier," Couturier says. "They didn't give me much support."
She has a restricted license that allows her to work under supervision, but physicians are too busy to supervise her. "They should make time for physicians with disabilities who need help. And not all of us do."
For information on CAPD, email asmuzumdar@ihis.org; or call 902 894-2061. A Web site is under construction. — Barbara Sibbald, CMAJ
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