Anti-vax doctors could lose their licences, says regulator

The Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) is investigating complaints lodged by the public against doctors who have adopted an anti-vaccination stance, as the country pushes for higher levels of immunisation against the Covid-19 virus.

According to the body, a medical practitioner’s duty is to provide advice to any person on his or her physical health status and administer or prescribe relevant treatment.

“Such advice shall be based on information which is evidence-based and scientifically accurate.”

HPCSA spokesperson Christopher Tsatsawane said the body was investigating allegations of unprofessional conduct brought by members of the public.

He did not say how many doctors were being investigated. He said a committee of inquiry would determine if these healthcare professionals would be allowed to continue practising.

This comes as the Caring Healthcare Workers Coalition, led by Durban doctor Naseeba Kathrada, is gathering information from South Africans who claim they or their loved ones have experienced adverse effects after taking a vaccine.

No complaint has been laid against her.

“I initially created a WhatsApp group for doctors only to converse with each other about what adverse events we are seeing in SA, so that we can be better equipped to treat it,” Kathrada said.

“We know there are adverse vaccine events going on around the world, but I thought if we do something locally, we can tell each other what we are seeing, pick it up early and treat it.

“It became very popular so I moved it onto Telegram and opened it up to the public. “People are only allowed to post vaccine adverse effects that happened to themselves or somebody they know personally.

“We’ve got a group of doctors who are verifying the information and collating it, so that we can release it as statistics.”

Kathrada, who has not been vaccinated and does not wear a mask in her practice, does not regard her stance as anti-vaccination.

The national health department’s Foster Mohale said it condemned “any form of unethical and illegal behaviour by any healthcare worker, including medical professionals”.

“We will not hesitate to refer them to the HPCSA for disciplinary action for breaching their ethical duties by advocating for people not to take Covid-19 vaccine and proliferating misinformation.”

Mohale said such health professionals could face disciplinary action “because they have an ethical duty ... to prioritise the health and wellbeing of their patients in line with international best practice standards”.

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