September

“Family physicians have always been committed to the care of their patients, but we now have so much more support for our work through the General Practice Services Committee (GPSC),” says Burnaby GP, Dr Davidicus Wong. “I’m now better able to provide timely care to each of my patients and am seeing improved health outcomes.”

A joint committee of the BCMA and the BC Ministry of Health, the GPSC’s mandate is to support the provision of full-service family practice and improve patient care. The committee works in a collaborative model and decisions are made by consensus. 

“Whack!” That was the sound of the sucker punch contacting my skull. Those who know me well would likely suggest more of a hollow sound. Perhaps thunk would be better. 

I wrote an editorial, “Pinch me,” in the July/August 2010 BCMJ outlining my reasons for distrusting government. I felt a little embarrassed to admit that these feelings arose during a meeting about developing a division of family practice in my community. During this meeting I found myself wondering what the government’s real agenda was. 

As a result of two cases currently before the BC Supreme Court, the question of legalizing assisted suicide is once again in the media. The legal argument is straightforward: if suicide itself is legal then assisting suicide should be legal as well. Otherwise, the law against assisted suicide is the only one on the books that makes assisting a legal act illegal. This I can understand, although the legal nuances escape me.

References

A stalwart member of the BC Medical Journal Editorial Board since 1994, Dr Lindsay Lawson retired from the Board 26 August 2011. Among her many talents and attributes, we will miss her wide-ranging knowledge, compassion, energy, editorial precision, and dedication to the profession. We hope to see her byline on the pages of the BCMJ in many future editions.