A B.C. doctor has come under fire after asking patients to help fund his retirement through monthly payments or donations.

Dr. Myron MacDonald, a family doctor who works in West Vancouver and is one of the original members of Greenpeace, is planning on retiring but says he doesn't take home much money.

MacDonald, 74, billed the medical services plan $163,978.42 last year, but says expenses chipped away much of that money, resulting in a letter to patients asking them to help him.

"Any amount will be of help to me," he wrote. "Perhaps $20 to $30 a month on your credit card could work for you."

B.C.'s College of Physicians and Surgeons, which regulates the medical profession in the province, slammed MacDonald's actions.

In an emailed statement, the regulatory body says his request would violate medical principles.

"Any physicians who request money from patients to support him or her in retirement would be contravening a foundational principle which every physician is required to abide by: do not exploit patients for personal advantage," a spokesperson wrote to CTV News.

One patient says he's concerned about the plea.

"I think that was wrong," said Andy Anderson. "It's against medical ethics on that point."

The college agrees, not disclosing disciplinary measures but saying MacDonald won't be accepting any money.

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Shannon Paterson