Canadian Family Physician 'hit piece' on family doctors ignites social media outrage

Doctors fumed on social media after Canadian Family Physician–the official publication of the College of Family Physicians of Canada–ran an editorial described as a “hit piece” by one physician and “condescending and bullying garbage” by another. In his editorial titled "Family medicine is not a business," Dr. Roger Ladouceur recounted overheard stories and reports of unethical physician behaviours ranging from forgoing physical examinations since March 2020 to avoiding patients who are too sick or too demanding. “I was appalled and dismayed to read it,” tweeted Calgary family physician and CFPC board member Dr. Yan Yu, who also posted a lengthy response to the editorial. Dr. Sohail Gandhi, a family physician in the rural town of Stayner, Ont., and former president of the Ontario Medical Association, penned a response that described Dr. Ladouceur's editorial as a "hit piece on family doctors" that further demoralizes a profession that's already been beaten down. The CFPC reacted quickly to the public outcry with a post on Facebook and Twitter recognizing “the distress experienced by some family physicians regarding an editorial in Canadian Family Physician.” While the CFPC is its publisher, “CFP’s editorial independence and the opinions of authors do not reflect CFPC positions,” the college wrote. Dr. Nick Pimlott, scientific editor of CFP, also issued a statement that said, in part: "Canadian Family Physician regrets the negative reaction that the editorial has caused. We recognize that given the hardships that Canadian family physicians have faced in the past fifteen months of the Covid-19 pandemic, including many different financial hardships, an editorial that is critical of a minority of professional behaviors at this difficult time can be controversial. The reaction to the editorial is a timely opportunity to remind readers that while CFP is the official journal of the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the journal maintains editorial independence from the College and the opinions expressed by contributors to the journal, including its editors, do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the College of Family Physicians of Canada, but those of the author(s)."

Canadian Family Physician 'hit piece' on family doctors ignites social media outrage

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