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Q&A: Why Do Specialists Refuse Vaccine-Injury Patients?

Day 2 · 0:40:23 · Shawn Buckley · Dr. Michelle Worton · Vienna Demeduk

  • ⚖️ Worton says regulatory colleges threaten penalties, so doctors fear openly acknowledging vaccine injury.
  • 🗣️ She resigned her own college board rather than endorse mandates that injured registrants like her.
  • 🛡️ She distinguishes anti-vax labels from the need for robust vaccine safety surveillance and accurate reporting.

Management-style answer on regulatory fear blocking care.

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Transcript

Shawn Buckley · 0:40:23

Uh, you said that, uh, can you— if you know that, you say that no, uh, specialist takes the vaccine injury patients. So do you, from your experience with them, what stops them from taking vaccine injury patients?

Dr. Michelle Worton · 0:40:40

Their regulatory body, that those that they hold their license with.

Shawn Buckley · 0:40:46

But what stops them?

Dr. Michelle Worton · 0:40:49

Um, concerned about being penalized. If you listen to Dr.

Shawn Buckley · 0:40:52

Charles Hawke, penalized by the regulatory bodies, you absolutely—.

Dr. Michelle Worton · 0:40:57

When I first was vaccine injured, I served on my college board. I resigned from my college board in a very short period of time because I would not have my name assigned to a college that would mandate their registrants and then be injured like me. And I was afraid to talk about my injury as a regulated healthcare professional because I was afraid of being reported to my college for telling the truth. Doctors cannot openly talk about vaccine injuries in Canada because the regulatory bodies will penalize them.

Shawn Buckley · 0:41:32

But what bothers me as an MP is why would they penalize professionals for, for helping patients? Be it vaccine injury or otherwise?

Dr. Michelle Worton · 0:41:40

It's a very good question.

Shawn Buckley · 0:41:44

Did you have any—.

Shawn Buckley · 0:41:44

Anything to say on it?

Vienna Demeduk · 0:41:47

Nothing.

Dr. Michelle Worton · 0:41:52

So you mentioned that ideology around vaccinations is one that you cannot contend with. And there's a very large difference between being an anti-vaxxer, which is insulting because I'm vaccine injured, and ensuring that we have robust safety approval for vaccines in Canada. That's what we need. Safety surveillance, accurate reporting, because if we don't have any of the above, Canadians will not get assistance and this will happen again.