Canada
Quebec Chiropractors Appeal Judgment by Superior Court
On Feb. 25, Quebec Superior Court Judge Gilles Blanchet ruled that chiropractors
in the province were no longer allowed to order laboratory tests or diagnose
health problems other than those associated with the spine or back.
The ruling is a result of a case between the Office des Professions du Quebec
and the Quebec Chiropractors Association and the Association of Students in
Chiropractic at the Université du Québec á Trois-Rivières.
Dr. Richard Giguère, QCA president, Dr. Normand Danis, president of the
Order of Chiropractors of Quebec, Jean-Sébastien Gélinas, ASC
president, announced that they intend to appeal the decision.
Giguère says that he considers the decision to appeal understandable
because of the grey areas that persist between the fields of competency reserved
to chiropractors and to physicians, despite the recognition in the judgment
that chiropractic diagnosis exists.
For his part, Danis says that he is disappointed that the prescribing and use
by chiropractors of laboratory analyses, which has existed for over 20 years,
was not seen to be a genuine preventive measure; a measure which allows doctors
of chiropractic to detect certain health problems and, when necessary, to refer
them to another specialist.
The chiropractors concluded by stating that, at a time when the medical profession
is understaffed and the health sector as a whole is going through a critical
period, the decision of the Superior Court runs counter to the pooling of efforts
that is taking place in order to ensure that the population receives safe health
services adapted to their needs.
International
Palmer West Gets Clinic Abroad Pilot Program
For the past six years, interns at Palmer College of Chiropractic have enhanced
their learning experience by participating in the Clinic Abroad Program, which
brings chiropractic care to needy families in remote destinations around the
world. This summer interns at Palmer West will have the opportunity to enjoy
similar educational and altruistic experiences.
The CAP will begin at Palmer West as a pilot program. If the pilot program is
a success, PCCW will proceed with the feasibility of introducing a permanent
CAP, similar to the program introduced at PCC in 1997 that has touched the lives
of many patients with limited or no health care.
During the break between the spring and summer 2003 quarters at Palmer West,
approximately 20 upper level students who have satisfactorily met all the appropriate
eligibility criteria will go to clinics in Fiji, Nepal and Vietnam. The length
of each trip will range from two to three weeks, depending on the location,
according to Dr. Kai Tiltmann, director of field training and preceptor programs,
who, along with PCCW clinician Dr. Andre KnustGraichen, are overseeing the program.
“Students have responded enthusiastically to the announcement of a CAP
program, both for the opportunity to provide care to underserved parts of the
world as well as for the opportunity to meet and work with PCC students as part
of a Palmer Chiropractic team,” said Tiltmann.
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