File photo. Photo: 123RF
A doctor who sent anti-vaccination material to a woman isolating at home with Covid 19 told the Health and Disability Commissioner she had not read the whole document and did not know what was in it.
The GP, who was in her first day in the job with the managed isolation and quarantine team, called the woman in November 2021.
The patient said the doctor was "kind" with her, asked her about her symptoms and then advised her about "getting zinc, vitamin D and C plus some antibiotics".
Following the call, she sent an email with an attached document called "Guide to COVID Early Treatment" and directed her to read the treatment guide on page 15.
Its publisher, the US-based Truth for Health Foundation, had a particular focus on Covid-19 vaccines, with resources on vaccine injuries and Covid treatment guides, as well as information on the impacts of 5G wireless communication on human health.
The document explicitly discouraged vaccination for specific groups, including pregnant women and children, and referred to the vaccine as "experimental genetic Covid shots" linked to serious side-effects, including miscarriages, and deaths of mothers and nursing babies after the mother had been vaccinated.
The treatment guidelines - to which the doctor directed the patient - included hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, and vitamins C and D, none of which were recommended as Covid-19 treatments in New Zealand at the time.
The doctor told the Health and Disability Commission the document was sent to her by a more senior GP colleague, she was not aware of its contents beyond the treatment guidelines, and she had not sent it to anyone else.
She described herself as "a champion" of Covid-19 vaccination.
The patient said after she lodged a complaint, the doctor sent her a message saying it was "highly defamatory" to suggest she was spreading anti-vaccination messages.
The woman says she felt "bullied and intimidated" by this response.
The doctor told the commissioner she had reacted in shock, "having given so much effort towards educating the vulnerable communities to get the vaccine, which was done in [her] own private time'.
She said that the response was also screened by her legal representative, who believed it was 'appropriate'."
Health and Disability Commissioner Morag McDowell said the doctor was responsible for the information she sent to patients.
"Dr B's failure to read the information in full does not lessen that responsibility. In any event, I consider it irresponsible for providers to send documents to consumers without being completely aware of their contents."
She has recommended the GP apologise to the patient and complete training on communication and professional standards.