A bill was proposed quickly this weekend by the Quebec minister of Health and Social Services demands that radiology clinics be owned by a doctor or by a firm where the majority owners are doctors. Those doctors must also be radiologists certified in Quebec. Without this law, Dr. Gaétan Barrette, President of the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec and himself a radiologist, argues that a company can buy a clinic and send their examinations to India to save costs thereby losing any chain of accountability. That sounds ridiculously alarmist. If all else fails, pull out the “Losing jobs to Asia!” card.

First of all, I do not see sending radiographs to India for an interpretation as a bad thing — particularly when it saves costs. Second, Quebec doctors can do that too. Before selling a final interpretation to a Quebecker, a Quebec doctor can review and certify it no matter who (an Indian technician, for instance) saw it beforehand. Third, maybe Quebec customers want cheap radiographic interpretations from India. Fourth, maybe Quebec customers want cheap radiographs to interpret themselves! They should have those choices.

This Bill 95 entered into the Quebec National Assembly is nothing more than protectionism stifling consumer choice.