hey man,im not saying he didnt help legit patients,im saying he helped them plus people that didnt deserve it..
And I'm saying you're jumping to conclusions as he hasn't been found guilty and the Harper government has shown it is completely unethical and immoral and willing to do just about whatever it takes to make a political point.
More over, this case is going to further push doctors out of the business of prescribing it. Most doctors want no involvement in it because they know little to nothing about it and most research is done on animals. They understand it's benefit for certain kinds of things but usually will prescribe what they know better, especially given the difficulty in ensuring a stable supply.
The entire program is a sick joke. Heath Canada has no business having my files centralized in some location just because. Other patients are not subject to such scrutiny, and many of them are prescribed drugs that cause far more social issues.
Beyond this, many doctors do not accept drug company kick backs but they are certainly bathed in propaganda. Some doctors are paid a salary by the Dept of Health, some are fee for service. All of them can be paid for signing MMAR forms. This is a fact. It's a type of appointment (forms, regular visit) and it isn't one they can bill a lot for. 250 seems a bit much but it's not unreasonable if he's operating outside the system and is exposing himself to significant liability.
It's the lawyer side that concerns me. I doubt he didn't know, and I'm sure he knew after the report came out so we'll see what happened since then (it will come out in court). That lawyer is a questionable guy. That's for sure.
I think Kammerman's charges too much but it's not a shockingly obscene amount like the lawyer was charging. Unless of course he was taking a cut from the lawyer too. We'll see.
I know at least one doctor very well (specialist, not cancer) who will sign these forms for people who need it. If you're on pain meds, he'll sign. If you have stomach issues, he'll sign. He signed for a guy who wants to DG for a bunch of methadone patients to attempt to get them off. He never charged them for it and got paid by his province because it's just a regular appointment (with forms) and there is no need to bill it as otherwise.
The CMA boards released letters to doctors suggesting they not prescribe. It wasn't any Dept of Health board. The CMA has influence, no question, but they aren't a government body.
Seems there is a lot of confusion about these issues, although please feel free to correct me wherever I am wrong, just hit me up with some links. I am well connected to the medical community so I would need to see them as I am very up on the doctors perspective on this.