Physician, regulate thyself!

We could not agree more with a CMAJ editorial1 that suggests confidence in physicians is at the core of what we do. We also agree that strong licensing and regulatory bodies are needed.

Long before the Shipman case came to light in the United Kingdom, medical regulatory authorities in Canada began making significant progress toward transparency and increased public accountability. There are now more public representatives on the councils of the regulatory authorities, and most disciplinary hearings are open to the public and the media.

Furthermore, the medical regulatory authorities recognize that a physician's performance may decline over time, and that the quality and safety of any individual physician's practice need regular review. Thus, the top priority for the Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada is revalidation of licensure.

Medical regulatory authorities around the world are examining the recommendations in the fifth report of the Shipman Inquiry2 with a view to doing everything possible to prevent a similar occurrence in their own jurisdictions. Although our organizations must learn from this sad and appalling case, it is an extreme example of failure in a multicomponent system and should not be viewed as representative of the system as a whole.