Audience sceptical as critic challenges current system for paying Canada's MDs.

A recent CMA-sponsored conference on negotiations brought medical leaders from across Canada to Ottawa in September to hear experts discuss the current health care environment. Among the speakers was Dr. Michael Rachlis, a widely quoted critic of physicians' current role in the health care system. He said physicians and patients currently face major "equity issues," as some patients have a difficult time finding medical help because their serious illnesses are "worth" less to doctors, many of whom prefer to see patients with simple problems that can be dealt with in a few minutes. Several physicians reacted strongly to the criticism.