A German doctor has sparked outrage after announcing that his practice will only treat patients who have had the jab or who have recently recovered from COVID-19.
The doctor, name not disclosed, hit the headlines in Germany this week after hanging a notice on the entrance to his clinic in the city of Leipzig.
According to the news site Bild, the doctor has sparked debate about health segregation after announcing that his orthopaedic practice will only treat the vaccinated or those who have recently recovered from COVID-19.
The sign reads: “Dear patients, due to the corona situation, the 2G rule will apply in our practice with immediate effect. We ask you to provide up-to-date proof of a complete vaccination against corona or proof of recovery from corona without being asked. We ask all other patients to make a new appointment by phone. In an emergency, contact your family doctor or emergency centres.”
One female patient from Leipzig who wished to remain anonymous told Bild: “I’ve been receiving treatment with my (unvaccinated) daughter since she was little. She is 16 years old and was sent away despite being in pain.
“She was completely insecure and felt really attacked. We wonder whether the doctor is even allowed to do that.”
When asked if the doctor is allowed to turn away patients, a health department official told Bild: “No, the practice is not allowed to do that. Everyone has a right to treatment, whether they are vaccinated or unvaccinated.”
The doctor refused to comment directly, but an office assistant told Bild: “There are employees here who need to be protected!”
The Leipzig medic is not the only German doctor to refuse to treat unvaccinated patients.
Dr Paul Offenberger, who runs a clinic in the Bavarian municipality of Oberallgau, caused a stir last month when he decided to only treat the vaccinated.
Dr Offenberger, who used to work in Malawi in Africa, contracted hepatitis himself and saw children die of measles, according to the news site BR24.
His experiences made the almost 70-year-old medic a staunch vaccination advocate, as he himself admits.
The doctor, who believes the vaccine is the best way out of the pandemic, said he no longer understands anyone who refuses to take the jab, adding: “I don’t want to listen to this discussion anymore and let myself be lectured by quacks, clueless people who cling to conspiracy theories, a superstition, a pseudo-religion. Others can do that, I’ve now pulled the ripcord.
“The blockage of intensive care units by mostly unvaccinated COVID-19 patients forces me to take this regrettable measure, but all sensible patients whose operations have to be postponed or who are afraid of an accident with inadequate care will thank me for it.”
However, to fulfil his obligation to treat patients in need, a note on the clinic door states that he will care for unvaccinated people in an emergency.
For this reason, the doctor does not fear any legal consequences regarding his decision, adding that it only affects “three to four dozen patients” who must look for a new family doctor in Oberallgau.
