To the Editor,
The Hippocratic Oath is an oath historically taken by physicians and other healthcare professionals swearing to practice medicine ethically and honestly.
When reading over this historic and important document, a reader will notice the line - “That I will be an advocate for patients in need and strive for justice in the care of the sick.”
With this in mind, it seems to me that our own MP, James Lunney, who is also a doctor, went against his own Hippocratic Oath by voting against Bill C-398.
(The bill) would have would have enabled Canada’s generic drug manufacturers to provide inexpensive life-saving medicines to Africans suffering from AIDS and other curable diseases who can’t afford brand-name medicines.
But in the end, the motion was defeated by only seven votes by the majority of Conservative government including our very own good doctor.
December 1 was World AIDS Day and should have been a great moment for Canada to recognize the major step our nation had taken to move towards an AIDS-free generation.
Instead, our Conservative government could not to rise above the politics, was not an advocate for people in need, and could not strive for justice for those who need it the most.
Mike McDowall,
Port Alberni