Special to National Post
Can doctors licensed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC) lie, intentionally or through ignorance, about medical information? This question has come up in response to a number of false and misleading public statements made by doctors in B.C. regarding COVID-19.
© Provided by National Post An ambulance passes through a crowd of people at an anti-vaxxer rally in Vancouver on Sept. 1.
Some of these statements have been so inaccurate that they are either intentional lies, or highlight a serious lack of understanding about COVID-19 and the vaccines. In either case, they are harmful and should be corrected. A physician should not operate in a way that harms people; nor should a physician communicate in a way that harms people.
Demonstrably false statements made by some B.C. doctors have included referring to mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines as “experimental gene modification therapy,” “the most unsafe vaccines in history,” saying that they “damage the ovaries” and that PCR tests are “useless” and cannot discriminate between different coronaviruses.
These false claims have been made by licensed doctors, in a professional capacity, and thus carry a lot of weight with the public. This misinformation may influence a person’s decision regarding a potentially lifesaving health intervention, and therefore, it is particularly serious.
A physician may believe that COVID-19 vaccines are not effective, that they can alter DNA or reduce fertility — just as a physician may believe that immunity from surviving a tetanus infection provides more robust and effective protection than a tetanus vaccine. But both of those beliefs have proven to be false, and it would be wrong and harmful to discourage others to avoid the COVID or tetanus vaccines based on false information.
One of us recently moved apartments and, during a conversation, one of the movers made a series of false statements, including that COVID-19 wasn’t real; that people were not dying from it but rather from other things, like old age; that someone who is asymptomatic could not be a health risk to others; and that the vaccines are dangerous and could affect our genes.
When he discovered he was speaking to an infectious diseases specialist who treated actual patients with COVID-19 in hospital, he explained that we were telling lies to keep our jobs, and that other doctors, who were speaking more honestly, had told him otherwise. The mover likely heard one of the doctors who promotes misinformation in articles and videos online, at rallies and on social media.
As doctors, we are trained to be critical thinkers and to pose scientific questions. But we are also trained to ensure that our recommendations are scientifically rigorous and based on evidence.
This is not a simple matter of free speech. This is a matter of professional standards and competency. Imagine if a licensed civil engineer persisted in grossly misrepresenting the structural integrity of a bridge despite being corrected by colleagues. If that misinformation led to harm, there would be legal ramifications.
And the situation only seems to be getting worse. Comparisons between COVID-19 vaccine mandates and the Holocaust by a physician licensed by the CPSBC at a recent anti-vaccine rally in Victoria demonstrates a frightening level of ignorance and raises serious concerns regarding that person’s competency and professional standards. That these comments were made in front of effigies of people who promote vaccines with nooses around their necks is even more unacceptable.
The CPSBC has recognized that false and inaccurate statements are harmful. In a written statement, the college noted that, “The safety of patients is paramount, and we must all do our part to ensure it is not jeopardized by misinformation during this critical time.”
Given the seriousness of this matter, it is important that the CPSBC, as the licensing authority for physicians in B.C., urgently and seriously addresses these issues and, if necessary, takes disciplinary action against physicians who persist in promoting objectively false and harmful claims in a professional capacity that endanger public health and safety.
National Post
Dr. Jan Hajek is an infectious diseases doctor and a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Alastair McAlpine is a is a pediatric infectious disease doctor based in Vancouver.
Some of these statements have been so inaccurate that they are either intentional lies, or highlight a serious lack of understanding about COVID-19 and the vaccines. In either case, they are harmful and should be corrected. A physician should not operate in a way that harms people; nor should a physician communicate in a way that harms people.
Demonstrably false statements made by some B.C. doctors have included referring to mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines as “experimental gene modification therapy,” “the most unsafe vaccines in history,” saying that they “damage the ovaries” and that PCR tests are “useless” and cannot discriminate between different coronaviruses.
These false claims have been made by licensed doctors, in a professional capacity, and thus carry a lot of weight with the public. This misinformation may influence a person’s decision regarding a potentially lifesaving health intervention, and therefore, it is particularly serious.
A physician may believe that COVID-19 vaccines are not effective, that they can alter DNA or reduce fertility — just as a physician may believe that immunity from surviving a tetanus infection provides more robust and effective protection than a tetanus vaccine. But both of those beliefs have proven to be false, and it would be wrong and harmful to discourage others to avoid the COVID or tetanus vaccines based on false information.
One of us recently moved apartments and, during a conversation, one of the movers made a series of false statements, including that COVID-19 wasn’t real; that people were not dying from it but rather from other things, like old age; that someone who is asymptomatic could not be a health risk to others; and that the vaccines are dangerous and could affect our genes.
When he discovered he was speaking to an infectious diseases specialist who treated actual patients with COVID-19 in hospital, he explained that we were telling lies to keep our jobs, and that other doctors, who were speaking more honestly, had told him otherwise. The mover likely heard one of the doctors who promotes misinformation in articles and videos online, at rallies and on social media.
As doctors, we are trained to be critical thinkers and to pose scientific questions. But we are also trained to ensure that our recommendations are scientifically rigorous and based on evidence.
This is not a simple matter of free speech. This is a matter of professional standards and competency. Imagine if a licensed civil engineer persisted in grossly misrepresenting the structural integrity of a bridge despite being corrected by colleagues. If that misinformation led to harm, there would be legal ramifications.
And the situation only seems to be getting worse. Comparisons between COVID-19 vaccine mandates and the Holocaust by a physician licensed by the CPSBC at a recent anti-vaccine rally in Victoria demonstrates a frightening level of ignorance and raises serious concerns regarding that person’s competency and professional standards. That these comments were made in front of effigies of people who promote vaccines with nooses around their necks is even more unacceptable.
The CPSBC has recognized that false and inaccurate statements are harmful. In a written statement, the college noted that, “The safety of patients is paramount, and we must all do our part to ensure it is not jeopardized by misinformation during this critical time.”
Given the seriousness of this matter, it is important that the CPSBC, as the licensing authority for physicians in B.C., urgently and seriously addresses these issues and, if necessary, takes disciplinary action against physicians who persist in promoting objectively false and harmful claims in a professional capacity that endanger public health and safety.
National Post
Dr. Jan Hajek is an infectious diseases doctor and a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Alastair McAlpine is a is a pediatric infectious disease doctor based in Vancouver.
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