# The dark side of Canadian socialized medicine - Infectious lesbians **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 28, 2009, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375 "2009-01-28T12:41:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/1 "2009-01-28T12:41:26Z")
[It’s true!](http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/lesbians_a_mystery_to_city_md_complaint_filed_heres_what_could_happen38441529.html) > [@](#): > > Andrea Markowski said she and her partner of 18 years made an appointment with Dr. Kamelia Elias after they heard she was accepting new patients. She said Elias started to take the couple’s medical history and asked how long the women had been together – at which point, the doctor told them she’s never treated lesbians before. > > Markowski said she asked Elias whether treating a same-sex couple was a problem for her, and alleges Elias said yes. > > Elias told the Free Press she has no experience treating lesbians and gays who sometimes have “sexual problems” and other diseases. Elias practised medicine in Egypt before spending four years in Steinbach and said she’s never treated gays or lesbians in her two decades as a physician. > > “They get a lot of diseases and infections,” Elias said during a phone interview. “I didn’t refuse to treat them, I said it’s better to find someone who has experience and will take this type of patients. There (are) some doctors who can treat them.” ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/2 "2009-01-28T12:59:58Z")
Infectious lesbians ? “You know that growth I went to see the Doc about ?” “Yeah ?” “Turned out to be a lesbian. Good thing he caught it early; cut it out under a local.” ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/3 "2009-01-28T13:22:45Z")
You can’t be too cautious when it comes to cooter-and-mouth disease. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/4 "2009-01-28T13:55:36Z")
Indictment pending. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/5 "2009-01-28T14:23:49Z")
Sounds like someone is worried about catching teh ghey. What hogwash! I’ve been around my gay sister all my life and never got the gay! Just ask my beautiful fiancee… who has short hair and is sometimes mistaken for a boy… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/6 "2009-01-28T16:28:57Z")
Yikes! I’d be willing to bet that the doctor got an ass-whupping by the head of the clinic and will probably be sent for a refresher course of what is an “infectious disease” and what isn’t (hint: Teh Ghey is the latter). It’s really too bad… doctors coming in from other countries have a rough enough time getting the appropriate certification to practice in Canada and often get passed over in favour of Canadian-trained physicians, so this kind of bad publicity is the last thing they need. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/7 "2009-01-28T16:34:24Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#): > > Sounds like someone is worried about catching teh ghey. > > What hogwash! I’ve been around my gay sister all my life and never got the gay! Just ask my beautiful fiancee… who has short hair and is sometimes mistaken for a boy… :eek: You got it all right. You got it twisted all around! _You’re marrying a lesbian._ :eek: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/8 "2009-01-28T16:47:09Z")
Lesbians who exclusively sleep with women pretty much have the _lowest_ rate of STDs among sexually active adults. And if the doc doesn’t think she’s ever treated a gay person, she’s retarded. Maybe not knowingly, but I’m sure she has. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/9 "2009-01-28T17:03:15Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > You got it all right. You got it twisted all around! _You’re marrying a lesbian._ :eek: It’ll be like living a porno! :: Cellphone comes home unexpectedly, to find his wife in bed with the pool-girl. Bow-chicka-wow-wow :: (I mean, they’d still like _me_ right?.. Right?.. Please!) ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/10 "2009-01-28T17:11:05Z")
> [@Mahna\_Mahna](#): > > It’s really too bad… doctors coming in from other countries have a rough enough time getting the appropriate certification to practice in Canada and often get passed over in favour of Canadian-trained physicians, so this kind of bad publicity is the last thing they need. Interesting that in the article it said that some doctors have never performed pelvic examinations because they weren’t allowed to in their culture. 😕 Okay, so when the are certified to practice in Canada (or the U.S. or wherever), how is that covered? I thought women were supposed to get a pap test once a year. Are the doctors just going to refer them to someone else? Learn on the fly? Or do their exams include some kind of proof that they have carried out at least all the common procedures that you’d have to get done during an annual physical? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/11 "2009-01-28T17:15:31Z")
Band name! I can’t be the only one who was thinking this… ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/12 "2009-01-28T17:37:07Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#): > > Interesting that in the article it said that some doctors have never performed pelvic examinations because they weren’t allowed to in their culture. 😕 Wasn’t there a Canadian case about doctors who won’t perform pap smears on unmarried women? Will try to do some digging… As I always say, being a victim never made anyone more sympathetic. Whatever increased freedoms this female doc benefits from by practicing in Canada obviously haven’t compelled her to question her prejudices. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/13 "2009-01-28T17:50:51Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#): > > It’ll be like living a porno! > > :: Cellphone comes home unexpectedly, to find his wife in bed with the pool-girl. Bow-chicka-wow-wow :: > > (I mean, they’d still like _me_ right?.. Right?.. Please!) I’m reminded of the homo who lived in Khartoum, took a lesbian up to his room, and they argued a lot over who would do what, and how, and with which, and to whom. 😃 Not that you remind me of a homo. NTTAWWT! I just work that limerick in anywhere I can. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/14 "2009-01-28T18:40:19Z")
> [@Mahna\_Mahna](#): > > I’d be willing to bet that the doctor got an ass-whupping by the head of the clinic and will probably be sent for a refresher course of what is an “infectious disease” and what isn’t (hint: Teh Ghey is the latter). I’ll take you up on that bet. The article doesn’t imply that the doc thought Teh Ghey is an infectious disease at all. There’s enough factual quotes bash the doctor about, no need to make things up. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/15 "2009-01-28T19:13:21Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#): > > Interesting that in the article it said that some doctors have never performed pelvic examinations because they weren’t allowed to in their culture. 😕 In some countries (especially ones living under religious fundamentalist regimes), male doctors cannot treat female patients. Everyone knows that a woman who lets a man look up her naughty bits is a slut, even if that man happens to be a medical professional who’s entire job it is to look up a dozen hoo-has a day for non-sexual purposes. In those countries, women have a choice of seeing a female physician or just going without proper medical care. :rolleyes: I assume that they’re taught the skill once they arrive in Canada, especially if they’re planning on working in family medicine like the esteemed Dr Elias does. Internationally trained doctors aren’t exactly handed a license to practice as soon as they pass the exam… they still have to go through the standard medical residency, which is a minimum of 2 years (for family docs… specialists require longer). **Santo** , the comment was tongue-in-cheek. However, there are two lessons this doc needs to be taught stat: 1. Lesbians are, in fact, the least likely group to contract an STD via sexual contact. This is especially true of lesbians who have been together as long as this particular couple. 2. As a doctor, your patients will do all sorts of stuff you don’t approve of. Suck it up… your job is to provide compassionate care and advice, so long as it’s relevant to their well-being (physical and mental). This applies whether your patient is a McDonald’s-eating exercise-avoiding 450lb tub o’ lard, the heroin addict with a positive pregnancy test, the chain-smoker with a family history of cancer, or the two women who bump uglies behind closed doors. The paternalistic model of doctor-knows-best-so-shut-up doesn’t work here, thankyouverymuch. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/16 "2009-01-28T19:18:00Z")
There are also plenty of doctors born, raised, and educated in Canada who are homophobic (and, even more often, transphobic) cocks. ---
**Author:** ![InappropriateHumor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eb8c5e/32.png) [@InappropriateHumor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InappropriateHumor)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/17 "2009-01-28T19:36:37Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > Wasn’t there a Canadian case about doctors who won’t perform pap smears on unmarried women? Will try to do some digging… > > …snip Heh heh heh, pelvic digging. I wasn’t the only one thinking that, right? ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/18 "2009-01-28T19:55:28Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Not that you remind me of a homo. NTTAWWT! See? I knew my new haircut made me look like a twink. Next time I’ll pass on the frosted faux-hawk. (That sounds like a cereal – “Frosted Faux-Hawks, stay crunchy in milk!”) > [@Mahna Mahna](#): > > In some countries (especially ones living under religious fundamentalist regimes), male doctors cannot treat female patients. I’m aware of this, but what surprised me is that they’ve _never_ performed one and are practicing here. Now I can understand how the College of Physicians will licence foreign practitioners based on foreign credentials and occasionally extra training locally. It also makes sense for them to let an opthamologist practice without proving he/she can do a pelvic exam. But the article suggests there are family physicians practicing without knowing how to do a basic procedure that women are supposed to have done during their yearly physical. That’s nuts to me. It’s one thing not to have had any female patients previously, but if they also don’t have _any_ experience or knowledge about conditions that affect women, how the hell are they supposed to perform their duties? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/19 "2009-01-28T20:01:59Z")
How kind of the doctor to break the news to them gently that the doctor was actually incapable of providing basic medical care. That should save them some time. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375/20 "2009-01-29T01:47:06Z")
The doctor in the story is female, so issues of male doctors treating female patients wouldn’t seem to apply. Also, are things different in Canada? I have never had a GP express any intention to do a pelvic exam. They don’t seem to have the setup (stirrups, etc.) in the office. In the US the standard is for a woman to have an annual pelvic exam by an OB/GYN. So AFAICT it would be perfectly normal for a GP not to do pelvic exams. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-side-of-canadian-socialized-medicine-infectious-lesbians/483375.md?page=2)