Summarised by Centrist
A Southland GP who prescribed Ivermectin during the COVID pandemic has been formally censured by the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.
Dr Sophie Febery can continue practising medicine, but must pay over $67,000 in costs and complete additional training.
Dr Febery was found guilty of professional misconduct for importing 2000 Ivermectin tablets and prescribing the drug to 29 individuals in 2021.
The tribunal said she acted without proper documentation or informed consent, and prescribed the medication to some who were not her registered patients. However, there were no reports of patient harm.
She also spoke publicly against vaccine mandates at a Christchurch rally and an Invercargill City Council meeting. In both cases, she identified herself as a doctor and expressed concern over vaccine risks, fertility data, and what she believed were under-reported adverse reactions.
The tribunal said these statements were misleading and concluded her public comments brought discredit to the profession.
Although the tribunal ruled against her, it chose not to restrict her clinical practice, instead requiring her to complete a medical council-approved course on research analysis, prescribing standards, and record-keeping. She must also disclose the tribunal decision to any employer for three years.
Editor’s note: It is disheartening to us that Dr Febery would be penalised at this point in time for questioning the severity of COVID or minimising the benefits of vaccination, including her statement that the virus was “not as deadly as we thought.” These views, once controversial, are now widely accepted.
Note that the New Zealand Medical Council has been called out to enforce conformity on doctors, restricting their free speech and pursuing those who dared to challenge the government’s COVID orthodoxy.
