Colleague Dr C., while trying to clear his desk before going on vacation, got frustrated with the endless requests for more information about a Special Authority request and jotted, “Quit wasting my time!” on the paper. His MOA faxed the form. The civil servant at the Ministry of Health forwarded the note to the College, with a cover letter asking, “Is this professional behavior?” The College sent the correspondence to Dr C., asking for an explanation. On his return from vacation, Dr C. was greeted with the letter on yellow paper from the College. The letter was dated 2 weeks prior to Dr C.’s return to the office. The College demanded a reply within 2 weeks. Dr C., an astute and well-liked family practitioner, retired at age 52.

Older GPs are retiring, and young graduates are not competing to take over their practices. Society might get doctors to provide more medical care if committee members and office clerks sent fewer forms. For now, to fill out a form, I charge the fees suggested by the Society of General Practitioners of BC.
—Robert Shepherd, MD
Victoria