Pension-seeking doctor ‘one of finest men that I know’
Re: West Vancouver doctor asks patients for money to help him retire comfortably, Dec. 6.
I received one of those letters the other day, as I have been a patient of Dr. Myron MacDonald for 40 years. He is one of the finest doctors in the city. It angers me to think that 48 years of dedicated service could end on a sour note.
As much as I love and respect Dr. MacDonald, I do not believe he is the best businessman. But when it comes to his abilities as a doctor, he would be hard to beat. He is also one of the finest men that I know and his ethics are of the highest standard.
His billings last year of $164,000 may seem like a lot of money, but with an office in West Vancouver and a full-time receptionist, you can bet there is very little left over at the end of the year.
Susan Prins of the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons said that “any physician who requests money from patients to support him/her in retirement would be contravening a foundational principle contained in the Canadian Medical Association Code of Ethics, which every physician is required to abide by: Do not exploit patients for personal advantage.” As one of his long-time patients, I can say that I don’t feel the least bit exploited.
I’m sure that it was not easy for Dr. MacDonald to ask for help. I will do what I can to help him. God knows he’s gone out of his way to help me, and my family and all of his patients, over the past 40 years. — Bob Munro, Burnaby