(As published recently in cleveland.com)
Should
a physician who spreads misinformation on coronavirus vaccines lose his medical
license? Would this violate the doctor’s
right to free speech? Shouldn’t
physicians be able to offer their patients counsel and advice that differs from
mainstream medical thought?
Every
profession has ethical and legal requirements to maintain the integrity of the
profession as well as the public trust.
· If an
attorney lies to a judge, then this lawyer can expect to be severely sanctioned.
· If a public-school
teacher instructs science students that the world was created exactly as
recorded in the Book of Genesis, then professional repercussions are expected.
· If a
police officer is discovered to have planted evidence to justify an arrest,
then the officer will likely face criminal penalties.
In
the medical profession, there are also professional and ethical boundaries that
practitioners must respect. Consider
these flagrant violations.
· A
doctor falsifies a medical record to buttress his legal defense in a medical
malpractice case.
· A
physician accepts a kickback for sending referrals to a colleague.
· A physician
performs unnecessary procedures to make money.
· A
doctor submits false documentation when applying for hospital privileges.
Such
breaches may very well jeopardize the doctor’s professional standing and even his
personal liberty.
This
past July, the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) stated that doctors
who spread misinformation on Covid-19 vaccines risk disciplinary action which
could include revocation of their medical licenses. The FSMB instructs that physicians are
obligated to share medical advice that accords with sound science and medical
judgment.
The
State Medical Board of Ohio requires every licensed physician to report
misconduct which includes, among other behaviors, a colleague practicing below
minimal standards. Indeed, a physician
who fails to report suspected misconduct to the Board may face disciplinary
actions.
Hippocrates, remember him?
One
would expect that physicians who promote false information regarding Covid-19
vaccines would be ripe for sanction. Remember
the Ohio physician who testified before a House Health Committee hearing this
past June that coronavirus vaccines magnetize recipients? In the doctor’s own words, “… they can put
a key on their forehead. It sticks. They
can put spoons and forks all over them and they can stick...” The Plain Dealer recently reported
that her medical license was just renewed by the State
Medical Board of Ohio for 2 years, an automated process that does not mean she
is not also under a confidential disciplinary investigation. Let’s hope that the Board does the right
thing.
Her
testimony might make for a compelling Twilight Zone script, but it has no place
in the medical landscape. This is not a
free speech issue. It’s a competency issue.
Governing
bodies of professions have rules and standards that must be enforced if they
are to mean anything.
Scientific
support for coronavirus vaccines is overwhelming - much more solid than for
many other standard medical treatments that physicians prescribe every day. I wish that my own advice to patients was in
the range of >90% effective with almost zero risk of serious
complications.
Millions
of Americans have become ill and hundreds of thousands have died from this
virus. And there will be more to
come. If a medical practitioner is
advising against coronavirus vaccines on medical grounds, or recommends
ivermectin as a treatment or promotes misinformation that risks the health of
patients and the community, then please sell your snake oil elsewhere. You took an oath upon becoming a doctor. And if you willfully violate it, as well as
the medical profession’s clear standards, then you should be called to account. We physicians must denounce anyone who
purveys deception and misinformation that threatens everyone’s health, even if
it is one of our own.
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