PUBLIC CITIZEN RELEASES DATABASE WITH NAMES OF 6,700 'QUESTIONABLE DOCTORS' IN 12 STATES - MOST STILL PRACTICING

The consumer advocacy group Public Citizen today released new information on approximately 6,700 physicians who have been disciplined by medical and osteopathic boards in 12 states and by other agencies for incompetence, mis-prescribing drugs, sexual misconduct, criminal convictions, ethical lapses and other offences. Most of the doctors were not required to stop practising, even temporarily. The states are California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Public Citizen has been publishing national and regional editions of the Questionable Doctors database in book form for more than a decade. But June 5th marked the database's debut on the World Wide Web. The web site is www.questionabledoctors.org Consumers will be able to search the list of disciplined doctors for free. For $10, they can view and print detailed disciplinary reports on up to 10 physicians within a three-month period in any of the states listed.

"For many of the most serious offences by doctors, the disciplinary actions imposed by state medical boards have been dangerously lenient," said Sidney Wolfe, M.D., director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group. "Choosing a doctor is one of the most critical decisions a consumer will make, but unfortunately, finding good, reliable information about physicians has been exceedingly difficult. We believe that to make the right choices about health care, consumers need to know whether their doctor has been disciplined for any offence and the details of the offence."
From Public Citizen, 5th June 2002
More at www.questionabledoctors.org

CTM COMMENT: Rather than examine the credentials of even the most exalted conventional doctor, time would be better spent examining the curriculum of 'respected' conventional medicine. Doing so reveals an approach to illness and disease which focuses almost entirely upon prescribing drugs, which are supplied by the very institutions that also happen to fund the nations' most prestigious medical colleges. Sadly, vested interests are seeing to it that little or no sensible teaching is being given to trainee doctors on the link between human ill-health and nutrition. Instead, doctors are being taught that there is a pill for every ill. So what benefit is there in being able to secure the services of even the most unimpeachable doctor whose disease management strategy relies almost entirely upon dangerous, (often life-threatening) toxic-based pharmaceuticals? Take cancer for instance. Latest reports indicate that cancer is on the rise. If you know somebody with cancer or you yourself are currently undergoing conventional cancer treatment from a trusted conventional establishment, this link will make you think again. Credence.org/greatnews/greatnews.htm