On her first day of work as a virtual GP for the Covid MIQ facilities, a doctor and self-described “champion” of the Covid-19 vaccine sent a woman isolated with the virus anti-vax information from a US organisation.

In November 2021, the woman and her two children had Covid-19 and were isolated at home, while her partner, who also had Covid, was staying in a Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) facility.

The doctor, referred to as Dr B in the Health and Disability Commissioner’s investigation findings into the professional breach, was working for a Te Whatu Ora team set up to provide health services to those in the facilities.

Dr B had phoned to speak with the woman’s partner but was advised during the call that she and her children also had the virus.

In the findings released today by Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) Morag McDowell, it said the woman had told the authority Dr B was kind when talking to her, asked about her symptoms, and spoke to her about “getting zinc, Vitamin D and C plus some antibiotics”.

The doctor also said she would send further information on the extra medication and advised her to contact her GP.

She emailed the woman the “Guide to Covid Early Treatment” and instructed her to refer to the Covid treatment guidelines on a certain page.

But the findings show the document, published by a US-based organisation, made numerous references to Covid vaccines suggesting, among other things, they were experimental and there was no evidence to suggest they reduced the risk of the virus.

It referenced risks, side effects and complications of the vaccine that were not backed up by Medsafe.

The document also suggested treatment and medications outside those recommended by the clinical standards operating in New Zealand at the time.

Health and Disability Commissioner Morag McDowell considered the complaint. Photo / Dean Purcell

Concerned about the impact the information being shared by a medical professional would have on vulnerable communities, the woman complained to a number of organisations, including the HDC, the Ministry of Health, and a media outlet.

“This is scary to think this information has been sent out to some of the most vulnerable people who SHOULD be getting vaccinated to fight off this virus,” she told the HDC.

A couple of days later, Dr B wrote to the woman apologising for any “any unintended distress” and explained the work she had done to promote the vaccination.

But she also told the woman that her complaint was “highly defamatory” and that it would have “serious consequences” for her as a doctor.

The woman told the HDC she felt bullied and intimidated by the doctor.

Dr B said she sent the letter “out of shock at being labelled as an antivaccination misinformation spreader”.

In her response to the complaint, the doctor told HDC the document was sent to her by a more senior GP colleague who had prescribed the treatments it referenced.

She said she was not aware of the contents of the document beyond the treatment guidelines and that she had not shared it with anyone else.

Dr B told the HDC she was a “champion of Covid vaccination for all people” and had helped to educate communities about the vaccine.

She said the complaint had taught her to thoroughly check any documents she shared.

In her findings, McDowell was satisfied the document could reasonably be interpreted as discouraging people from getting the Covid-19 vaccine and contained misinformation.

She found the doctor in breach of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights for sharing it, as it amounted to a failure to comply with the Medical Council of New Zealand’s guidance statement on health practitioners’ professional responsibility around providing Covid-related information.

McDowell said the doctor’s failure to read the document in full did not lessen her responsibility to provide accurate information, to share information from public health-approved channels, and to verify the appropriateness of the resource being provided.

The treatment guidelines in the document, to which Dr B had directed the woman, recommend treatments including hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin and vitamins C and D.

She had not explained to the woman they are not recommended for treating Covid-19 in New Zealand, McDowell found.

Dr B’s letter to the woman was also “inappropriate and unprofessional”.

McDowell recommended the doctor provide an apology to the woman, complete HDC’s online training modules on the Code and attend training on communication and professional standards.

Tara Shaskey joined NZME in 2022 as a news director and Open Justice reporter. She has been a reporter since 2014 and previously worked at Stuff where she covered crime and justice, arts and entertainment, and Māori issues.