Dr. McDonald's Plea (transcript)

In case some of you didn't see this on the CCSVI facebook site, here is the transcript of the conclusion of Dr. McDonald's passionate plea to be allowed to treat his patients:

CONCLUSION

I conclude with my recommendation to this Subcommittee. If universal health care is not accessible for treating CCSVI in MS patients, then we must at the very least allow these patients to purchase these services in Canada (just as patients purchase cosmetic surgery services, bringing revenue to hospitals whose facilities are rented). These patients have a right to decide.

Please report to the Standing Committee on Health and advise the Minister of Health that there are unconscionable and unacceptably discriminatory obstacles in the way of corrective angioplasty for CCSVI sufferers who happen also to be diagnosed with MS.

Please find the way to make clear, at the earliest possible opportunity, that properly diagnosed CCSVI should lead to angioplasty correction without any discrimination between MS sufferers and non-MS sufferers. MS patients have just as much right to proper blood flow from their brains as anyone else.

Doctors are sworn to help their patients. Please let me help mine.

Dr. Sandy McDonald, MD