Commissioner reprimands GP over Covid-19 vaccine texts
A Kiwi doctor who sent an unsolicited text message to 600 of his patients saying he didn’t support the Covid19 vaccine has been slated by the Health and Disability Commissioner.
But the doctor, who subscribes to views ranging from vaccine-induced magnetism to a conspiracy it will be used for biometric control, cannot be named, with the commission saying they must protect his privacy.
Eleven people complained to the commission about the doctor last year, some of whom had received the text message and others who were patients, or related to patients, who felt they hadn’t been provided with a full picture of the safety of the vaccine.
The text message, sent on August 19, read: “Hi [name], your GP here. I cannot in conscience support Covid vaccination of, particularly, children, and pregnant and fertile women, from my assessment of current risks and benefits.
“All to make their own best decision. I apologise for any distress. My views are my own, not the consensus.”
He linked a website with debunked conspiracies surrounding the vaccine, but also reminded patients that the rollout at the practice would continue.
Soon after sending the messages, he informed other doctors at the practice.
“We have never formally discussed my departure from the consensus and I have been grateful for the, thus far, tacit support of my right to my views. Certainly plenty of my patients have been vaccinated, without me throwing myself in front of them,” he wrote to his colleagues, offering to pay the cost of the SMS messages himself.
“Professional suicide is one thing, but I’d prefer not to go down in the hail of bullets that has already descended on the email account,” another doctor at the practice replied the next day.
Three days later, the local primary health provider got in touch with the practice to say that the doctor’s contract had been cancelled.
The doctor still showed up at work the next day, only to be told the news that evening. His ability to send text messages was immediately revoked, and he did see another patient at the practice again.
Investigating the matter, the Health and Disability Commission received 11 complaints directly and was provided with another 16 complaints that had initially been sent to the practice.
Some of those complaints included allegations that the doctor had used in-person consultations to spread misinformation on the
Responding to the commission, the doctor remained firm in his view that his actions stemmed from a place of professional responsibility.
“In the end, I prepared a hastily contrived text message which has come at a huge financial, personal and professional cost. I simply did not feel that I could, in good conscience, ignore [reports of vaccine injuries],” he said.
He said he targeted the text message to those aged under 65, although one of the complainants was aged 77.
Commissioner Morag Mcdowell recommended that the doctor apologise to each individual patient referred to in the decision, and, should he return to the medical profession, that he undertake training on professional and ethical standards.
vaccine.