The Medical Council of Guyana has warned doctors against providing disinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines, saying that engaging in such activity contradicts their ethical and professional responsibilities.
In a statement, dated September 15, 2021, the Council noted that all physicians registered and licensed to practice medicine in Guyana are held to a high degree of public trust, due to their specialized training. “Expertise does matter as facts outweigh opinions,” it noted. “However any doctor who spreads disinformation, misinformation and falsehoods to the public during a time of [a] Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) goes against what we represent,” it added, while pointing out that COVID-19 is a potentially lethal illness.
The Council stressed that the grave medical emergency requires members of the community of physicians to continue their commitment to science, the practice of evidence-based medicine, and the provision of the very best, most accurate and timely information available to their patients and families.
It further emphasized that the fact that there are safe, effective and widely available vaccines against COVID-19 is outstanding. “Physicians who use their position of authority to denigrate vaccination at a time when vaccines continue to demonstrate effectiveness against severe COVID-19 illness, hospitalization and death are not only constitutionally unethical but also unprofessional and dangerous,” the Council added.
Against this background, the Council voiced its support for the position taken by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) in the United States that proposes to take disciplinary measures against any certified doctor who spreads disinformation about COVID-19 disease and vaccines.
“We have sworn to uphold The Hippocratic Oath to “do no harm” and as such we should not promulgate treatments that are demonstrably ineffective and harmful. The Guyana Medical Council commends all the good work that has been done by the community of physicians to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Guyana,” it added.
