Quebec Health Minister Yves Bolduc has turned down a request by some of the province's doctors that each be reimbursed $704 per day for volunteer work in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

Bolduc said it would set a precedent for other groups that want to donate their time for free.

The orthopedic specialists made the demand last week, saying that while they were volunteering in the Caribbean country, they still had bills to pay for in Quebec.

About half a dozen orthopedists are still in Haiti caring for survivors of the Jan. 12 earthquake.

A Quebec Health Ministry spokesperson said the doctors in question chose to go to Haiti, and weren't sent by the province.