Canadian Doctors' Misconduct: A Call for Change

0:00It's April 20, I'm Cory with the story, and this is Canada News Today, local news powered by AI. A new study dropped in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, spotlighting sexual misconduct by doctors across Canada from 2019 to 2024. Researchers uncovered 689 victims abused by 208 physicians with 32 brutal cases right here in Quebec. They're talking assaults during exams, unnecessary photos of private areas, and even a doc holding a patient down while masturbating straight up. Criminal. Earlier this week, the details hit hard. 585 women and girls affected, including at least 40 kids, plus some co-workers in the medical field. But underreporting is rampant. Folks hesitate because processes confuse them, or they fear not being believed, or think it's just normal, care. Meanwhile, reactions from experts like study author Dr. Shannon Razaki paints a grim picture. 30% of these docs had prior complaints, raising big questions about whether current punishments

1:04actually shield patients. A recent survey found one in five women physicians facing harassment at work, yet 60% stay quiet over retaliation fears. New findings call out a culture of silence, with an editorial slamming how regulators hush things up to protect reputations. Before provinces, Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and Prince Edward Island have laws defining misconduct with mandatory penalties. Props to Quebec though, for pioneering rules against Dr. Patient 6 since 2017 and keeping a top-notch database. This pushes the whole profession to own the problem. Follow UK's reforms, believe victims first, and enforce real change because trust in medicine. Hangs in the balance.