DiLoreto wants a patient near the end of his or her life to be able to have their medical care wishes known beyond just their family doctor, particularly when a dying patient may have seen several different doctors, nurses or care givers in the final months or days of their lives.

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He said Jackson hid the drug abuse from his family, and medical professionals were barred from telling anyone about it due to doctor-patient confidentiality.

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The second was when we were taken to the exit of the emergency room, along with all of the other drunks on a Saturday night, was given a cursory examination by a registrar, then handed a walking stick and told to go home and see my family doctor - no transport, in the middle of the night, no medical care.

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Thomas sent a medical note from his doctor to Toulouse saying he required time off after a family bereavement.

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For example, the average wait to see a new family doctor in this country is just under three weeks, according to a 2009 survey by medical consultancy Merritt Hawkins.

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That is good, because the reward of being a family doctor certainly is not monetary at least not when compared with the stratospheric salaries of medical specialists.

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