Shame on the CMPA

Saturday, April 05 2003 @ 08:37 AM EST

Contributed by: Coach

Some of us around here have been quick to jump on Richard Griffin when he resorts to J.P.-bashing instead of journalism, but that's not the case today. The Star columnist has broken a very important story -- an idiotic decision by an insurance bureaucracy has forced the Blue Jays' team doctors to resign. This is a knee-jerk reaction by the Canadian Medical Protective Association (motto: "covering our own ass since 2003") to the successful malpractice suit by ex-NHL-er Dave Babych.

The doctors -- Ron Taylor, Allan Gross and Erin Boynton -- would risk bankruptcy by treating injured players, because any malpractice insurance the Jays could purchase for them would not cover suits by U.S.-based athletes. This decision also affects the six Canadian NHL clubs and the Raptors. The next time someone gets hurt at a sporting event, they will be attended by paramedics, and if necessary, taken to a walk-in clinic or hospital emergency room (assuming you can find one that's open) and treated by someone whose expertise with athletes pales by comparison to the specialists.

Griffin shows restraint by guessing the CMPA is full of proctologists, but he's in the right neighbourhood.

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