Ontario doctor cautioned for ‘irresponsible’ tweets about COVID-19
An Ontario doctor has been cautioned by the College of Physicians and Surgeons for social media posts about COVID-19 that were deemed inaccurate and irresponsible.
Dr. Kulvinder Gill was issued three cautions for “inappropriate” and “unprofessional” statements she posted on Twitter that claimed neither lockdowns nor vaccines were necessary.
The Brampton doctor had claimed there was “absolutely no medical or scientific reason for this prolonged, harmful and illogical lockdown,” the college wrote in one of the decisions.
She had also written that “we don’t need a vaccine,” and shared a Tweet claiming that contact tracing, testing and isolation were “ineffective, naive & counter-productive against COVID-19.”
The college’s complaints committee cautioned Gill for all three posts, citing a “lack of professionalism and failure to exercise caution in her posts on social media, which is irresponsible behaviour for a member of the profession and presents a possible risk to public health.”
The college said Gill intended to appeal the rulings.
A statement issued by an organization headed by her lawyer accused the college of “selectively, and in bad faith” taking her comments out of context, and ignoring “world scientific and medical opinion” supporting her. She retweeted the statement.
The first of their type, the cautions come as Canada’s doctors are growing increasingly concerned about misinformation and conspiracy theories about COVID-19 that have become pervasive online.
“A caution arises where the committee is concerned about an aspect of a physician’s practise or professionalism or conduct,” Carolyn Silver, the college’s general counsel, told Global News.
“It is meant to protect the public. A summary of the decision, as you can see, is on the public website. So it is public information and that information becomes part of the physician’s history.”
“And if any subsequent concerns arise with respect to a physician’s practise or conduct or professionalism, that history is available to the college to consider.”
The Ontario Medical Association said in a statement responding to the cautions that it was important to use “science and proven public health measures as the basis for decisions on how to curb the pandemic, despite the alarming amount of misinformation still being spread about COVID-19.”
In its decision, the college said that while it was valid to point out that lockdowns had drawbacks, and to question if they were working or whether the costs outweighed the benefits, Gill had gone beyond that.
“She stated unequivocally and without providing any evidence that there is no medical or scientific reason for the lockdown,” the college wrote.
“Her statement does not align with the information coming from public health, and moreover, it is not accurate,” according to the ruling.
Lockdowns in China and South Korea were evidence they reduced the spread of COVID-19, the college wrote.
“For the respondent to state otherwise is misinformed and misleading and furthermore an irresponsible statement to make on social medial during a pandemic,” the decision read.
Gill is the co-founder of the advocacy group Concerned Ontario Doctors. Her Twitter account has more than 56,000 followers. She could not be reached for comment.
Her claim that vaccinations were not needed was also deemed inappropriate by the college, which said vaccines had been tested and approved in Canada and were the best way to end the pandemic.
“While it is possible for a return to ‘normal life’ without vaccinating the public, this is a high-risk strategy and one that could potentially take years to achieve,” the college wrote.
According to the decision, Gill provided no evidence to support the statement that vaccines were not necessary.
“It would be expected and understandable if a certain proportion of the general public who read this statement decided to decline the vaccine with the assurance that they were acting on the guidance of a physician,” the college wrote.
“For this reason, the committee considered it irresponsible, and a potential risk to public health, for the respondent to have made this statement in the middle of a pandemic.”
The college complaints committee additionally took Gill to task for retweeting that contact tracing, testing and isolation were counter-productive, a view it called “indefensible.”
“The committee would expect a certain proportion of the non-medically trained public who read this post to subsequently decide not to follow government and public health rules and recommendations regarding contact tracing, testing and isolation,” the ruling read.
“This could have significant negative consequences for public health. The Respondent’s comments in this regard are irresponsible and careless in the current context and climate.”
While Gill had argued her tweets were taken out of context, the college said that tweets by nature had “limited context.” Nor did the college accept that her tweets were made on a personal account.
“The respondent’s Twitter biography makes it very clear that she is a physician and also identifies her as the leader of a group of physicians, Concerned Ontario Doctors,” it said.
“The respondent’s tweets are accessible by the public. Moreover, members of the public who are not healthcare professionals are likely to attribute significant weight and authority to the respondent’s tweets, given her profession.”
More at globalnews.ca
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Saeed Qureshi
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The association should be more assertive and direct in its warnings about the misinformation in the minds of physicians as well as the public at large. For example:
It should provide a link/reference to valid experimental/scientific studies demonstrating that public health recommendations do indeed provide protection or health benefits.
(1) http://www.drug-dissolution-testing.com/?p=3632
(2) http://www.drug-dissolution-testing.com/?p=3488
It should provide link/evidence demonstrating the “killing” effect of the vaccines on the virus, for example, showing live or active virus vs. dead virus in the presence of a vaccine or its derivative in humans.
(1) http://www.drug-dissolution-testing.com/?p=3587
(2) http://www.drug-dissolution-testing.com/?p=3574
At present, public health authorities’ recommendations are open to misinterpretation and lack scientific authenticity and credibility.
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very old white guy
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public health authorities are incompetent.
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NecktopPC
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Lieutenant Colonel David Redman, former head of emergency management in Alberta presents a detailed explanation of where our country went wrong in dealing with the pandemic, how our government ignored previously developed emergency plans, how long-term care has been needlessly devastated, and how we can get out of this mess.
What went wrong in Canada’s Pandemic Response? A presentation by Lieutenant Colonel David Redman.
Please watch and share!
From 43:21 of the video presentation: I remember premier Ford in the middle of January, almost crying on the TV, saying, our hospital system is overwhelmed. We have 1,760 people in acute care beds, folks, you’re not locking down hard enough, you’re not doing your part. The disease is spreading, it’s your fault, our hospital system is about to collapse.
What Doug Ford didn’t tell you is that in Ontario, they have 22,358 acute care beds, in your medical system.
More at: https://gab.com/SomeoneTookMyUsername/posts/105837260238782829
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Chris
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Her attorney needs to point out that it is not for her to prove a negative, which is impossible. She was stating a negative such as vaccines are unnecessary. It is on counter to attempt to demonstrate that they are necessary. But one question is why is it that those who are against the narrative must provide evidence while those who push it are not asked to provide evidence. The scientific method requires that the virus must be isolated as step one to demonstrating its existence. No one has done this.
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Andrew Pilkington
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Good for her, we need more like her and fron within the British NHS System especially?
Anyone looked into where that College gets it’s funding on Covid, in particular?
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Anon
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“Lockdowns in China … were evidence, they reduced the spread of COVID-19 … “ — that smells like that ferguson person aka admirer of the CCP methodology. (If that is the mentioned “scientific evidence,” some of us should join the Red Guards and personally oversee the CPSO’s adherence to the Tenets of the NCPC ~ New Communist Party of Canada).
Otherwise, why they didn’t point out the remarkable successes of lock-downs in Italy, Spain, Belgium, the UK and metropolitan New York City, and the utter failures of its risky ignorance in Sweden and Florida?
“… college … said vaccines had been tested and approved in Canada and were the best way to end the pandemic.” — Wow, that’s a brave statement. Even if these Synthetic Gene Therapies (mRNA) and similar (e.g. modified adenovirus) experimental injections were true vaccines, could that statement stipulate CPSO’s responsibility for recommending that human experiment?
CPSO shall be reminded of the “Nuremberg Physician Codes of 1947.” Perhaps by a similar letter?
‘Protecting Public’ (Proletariat, Aryan race etc) has always been the rallying cry of all despots throughout the history.
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Charles Higley
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So, are the doctors afraid of being shown to be wrong in their science and their medicine, which they have clearly not investigated, but taken as true? Thus, they, feel the best route is to suppress all dissenting opinions? WOW. Canada is sunk.
We have spent 70 years supporting a low fat, high carb diet and are now finding out that the few dissidents from 50+ years ago were correct. I figured it out 40 years ago as a biochemist.
Cholesterol is a healing chemical made by our bodies to deal with a number of injuries, including aging. Why would anybody take a poison that is designed to prevent your body from healing itself? Eggs, eggs, eggs, dairy, dairy, and eggs. YES!
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Anon
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Hi Charles,
I recall a nice anecdote about this “Sugar or Fat” from mid 1960’s:
The Researchers’ conclusion was originally: ‘It is sugar.’ After a strong intervention on behalf of food industry and some deliberation, they changed their narrative: ‘We think it is Sugar, but it could be Fat.’ And after some ‘merit consideration’ the outcome became the well known: ‘No doubts, it is the Fat!’
This “Science for Hire” had, of course, nothing to do with it… While the ambiguity of the rest of the food industry about this New Villain (Fat) sealed the deal — you can use saturated fat in so many ways, it wasn’t any real loss to them then.
Cheers, Anon.
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Hivemind
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It isn’t about the science, it’s about silencing dissenters.
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very old white guy
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yep.
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