“First, do no harm” has long been a central tenet of healthcare. Thousands of experts believe this principle is not being upheld under current COVID-19 approaches and are speaking up.

More than 5,200 doctors and scientists have signed the “The Physicians Declaration”. The statement condemns policymakers for authoritarian approaches in forcing a “one-size-fits-all” COVID-19 treatment strategy, resulting in “needless illness and death.”

A Historic COVID-19 Summit in Rome

An international alliance of physicians and medical scientists met in Rome, Italy, on September 12-14 for a three-day global COVID-19 summit to speak “truth to power about COVID pandemic research and treatment.”

The summit presented an opportunity for medical professionals to compare studies and assess the efficacy of the various Coronavirus treatments developed in hospitals, doctors’ offices, and research labs worldwide.

However, many of these medical professionals have experienced career threats, character assassination, and censorship of research papers, clinical trials and patient observation. Others have had their professional history and accomplishments altered or omitted in academic and mainstream media in retaliation for providing life-saving treatments to COVID-19 patients.

Dr Robert Malone, who discovered in-vitro and in-vivo RNA transfection and invented mRNA vaccines while at the Salk Institute in 1988, read the Declaration at the summit.

The Physicians Declaration

The Physicians Declaration states:

We the physicians of the world, united and loyal to the Hippocratic Oath, recognising the profession of medicine as we know it is at a crossroad, are compelled to declare the following;

WHEREAS, it is our utmost responsibility and duty to uphold and restore the dignity, integrity, art and science of medicine;

WHEREAS, there is an unprecedented assault on our ability to care for our patients;

WHEREAS, public policymakers have chosen to force a “one size fits all” treatment strategy, resulting in needless illness and death, rather than upholding fundamental concepts of the individualised, personalised approach to patient care which is proven to be safe and more effective;

WHEREAS, physicians and other health care providers working on the front lines, utilising their knowledge of epidemiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology, are often first to identify new, potentially life-saving treatments;

WHEREAS, physicians are increasingly being discouraged from engaging in open professional discourse and the exchange of ideas about new and emerging diseases, not only endangering the essence of the medical profession, but more importantly, more tragically, the lives of our patients;

WHEREAS, thousands of physicians are being prevented from providing treatment to their patients due to barriers put up by pharmacies, hospitals, and public health agencies, rendering the vast majority of healthcare providers helpless to protect their patients in the face of disease. Physicians are now advising their patients to simply go home (allowing the virus to replicate) and return when their disease worsens, resulting in hundreds of thousands of unnecessary patient deaths, due to failure-to-treat;

WHEREAS, this is not medicine. This is not care. These policies may actually constitute crimes against humanity.

Resolutions of the Declaration

The resolutions of the Physicians Declaration read:

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS:

RESOLVED, that the physician-patient relationship must be restored. The very heart of medicine is this relationship, which allows physicians to best understand their patients and their illnesses, to formulate treatments that give the best chance for success while the patient is an active participant in their care.

RESOLVED, that the political intrusion into the practice of medicine and the physician/patient relationship must end. Physicians, and all health care providers, must be free to practice the art and science of medicine without fear of retribution, censorship, slander, or disciplinary action, including possible loss of licensure and hospital privileges, loss of insurance contracts and interference from government entities and organisations – which further prevent us from caring for patients in need. More than ever, the right and ability to exchange objective scientific findings, which further our understanding of disease, must be protected.

RESOLVED, that physicians must defend their right to prescribe treatment, observing the tenet FIRST, DO NO HARM. Physicians shall not be restricted from prescribing safe and effective treatments. These restrictions continue to cause unnecessary sickness and death. The rights of patients, after being fully informed about the risks and benefits of each option, must be restored to receive those treatments.

RESOLVED, that we invite physicians of the world and all health care providers to join us in this noble cause as we endeavour to restore trust, integrity and professionalism to the practice of medicine.

RESOLVED, that we invite the scientists of the world, who are skilled in biomedical research and uphold the highest ethical and moral standards, to insist on their ability to conduct and publish objective, empirical research without fear of reprisal upon their careers, reputations and livelihoods.

RESOLVED, that we invite patients, who believe in the importance of the physician-patient relationship and the ability to be active participants in their care, to demand access to science-based medical care.

Ending Medical Censorship

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said,

These medical professionals have been censored and threatened for simply upholding the Hippocratic Oath to ‘do no harm.’ Throughout history, many breakthrough discoveries that have now become accepted science were initially censored. It’s past time to end medical censorship and allow doctors and scientific experts the freedom they rightfully deserve.

Originally published at The Desert Review. Image by RODNAE Productions at Pexels.