Doctor Directory

This document introduces women to the Vancouver women's Health Collective (VWHC) Doctor Directory. The directory was established by the VWHC as a tool for women searching for a "good doctor" in the Lower Mainland, and is a "formalized grapevine" of evaluations of doctors filled out by women in the community. However, the document reports that the search for a good doctor is misguided because of implicit problems within the health care system, which is a hierarchical, profit-driven industry. It explains that the tendency for patients to place blind trust in doctors creates dependency and ignorance about our own bodies, which doctors rely on. Instead we should remember that we should expect good care from doctors, who are highly paid professionals, rather than feel grateful for the care we receive. Moreover, doctors should be perceived as resources, not gods. The document encourages self-education and preventative care, and provides a list of patient rights as well as contact information for legal aid.