Mr. Chair, in regard to the established patient-practitioner relationship, as a former health care provider I can say that relationship forms the basis of clinical decisions that are made for evaluations of patients and the type of treatment that is proposed for a patient. It is completely unheard of for any individual who is a patient to not have an established doctor-patient or patient-practitioner relationship and receive consultation or treatment advice.
Regardless of which physician, and even though everyone is trained, whether they are in the U.S. or Canada, it is extremely vital, for patient safety and for their own individual direction in their particular program of care, that they see a physician one on one so their course of treatment and type of treatment may be evaluated.
I must commend the Minister of Health and the department for including provisions that will strengthen and ensure that there must be an established patient-practitioner relationship prior to having anyone co-sign a prescription. It is vital for patient care. It is vital for patient safety and it is of paramount importance in that particular individual's treatment.