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SEPTEMBER , 2023 | THE HEALTH
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Don ’ t appeal , govt urged
Covid-19 vaccines would not have been possible if effective alternative treatments had been acknowledged .
“ This is a completely unacceptable violation of the doctor-patient relationship and the ethical tenets of informed patient consent .”
Au said : “ The Court agreed with us that the present case is not to recognise Ivermectin as an alternative remedy for the treatment of Covid-19 , but to acknowledge the right of medical practitioners in exercising their professional judgment to dispense Group B Poisons , which invariably includes Ivermectin , to their patients .
“ The Court of Appeal also ruled that there is no collateral attack for the doctors to seek these reliefs in court for an affirmation of this pre-existing right .”
Au said the Court of Appeal allowed the two doctors ’ appeal and ordered the Federal government and the MoH to pay costs of RM30,000 to the two doctors .
The two doctors ’ lawsuit was earlier dismissed on March 24 , 2022 , by High Court judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid , with costs of RM5,000 .
According to the High Court judge ’ s ruling , the lawsuit was baseless and an abuse of the court process , ruling that the lawsuit was to seek for the court to make a “ new health policy ” on Ivermectin contrary to the regulatory framework and government policy and without expert scientific evidence .
In his ruling , Ahmad Kamal said the court should not make decisions about scientific and technical policy matters , particularly given how quickly the Covid-19 pandemic is developing . He pointed out that the WHO was still
He said the government ’ s oversight powers are essential for patient safety .
“ And doctors in Malaysia have quite a lot of freedom to use the medicines that are available in the Malaysian market as they see fit .
“ There is minimal supervision except for cases involving the sale of cough mixtures to drug addicts . I do not think we need to change the laws .”
He said the real problem with drug usage in Malaysia is that the pharmaceutical industry drives it . conducting additional clinical studies on the use and effects of Ivermectin and that there was no guarantee that it could treat Covid-19 . He added that it would go against the interests of justice to legalise the use and prescription of Ivermectin by licensed medical practitioners .
He added that the court would not have the authority to rule on whether it is appropriate to use Ivermectin on humans , saying that the legislative and executive branches should make such decisions of the government .
He added that by pre-empting and interfering with an ongoing criminal investigation against one of the doctors regarding the dispensing or selling Ivermectin , the lawsuit had the effect of a collateral attack .
In August 2021 , the MoH said the Malaysia National Poison Centre had received reports of two cases of acute poisoning from consumption of Ivermectin with symptoms including breathing difficulties , and said the drug had yet to be approved to prevent or treat Covid-19 in Malaysia and that incorrect dosages could cause poisoning .
The Health Ministry stated in November 2021 that Ivermectin ’ s clinical trial in a study involving 500 Covid-19 patients , conducted since May of that same year , did not significantly lessen the effects of severe Covid-19 infection and could not be recommended to treat Covid-19 , and that physicians should not recommend or sell Ivermectin for treatment of Covid-19 .
Ivermectin is not a cure-all for Covid-19 , according to the study ’ s principal investigator from the MoH , who made this statement in November 2021 . – The Health
“ The major companies frequently invite doctors to luncheons and dinners which are preceded by lectures on the benefit of the newest drugs for various conditions which , incidentally , are patent protected .
“ The older medicines are downplayed , though they might be as efficacious as they do not bring in as much money for the companies .
“ There is nothing objective about the process . The pharmaceutical companies fly in the speakers at these luncheons and dinners .”
NON-GOVERNMENTAL group Malaysian Alliance for Effective Covid Control ( MAECC ) has urged the government not to appeal the Court of Appeal ’ s declaration that doctors are entitled to dispense Ivermectin as part of the course of treatment to patients under their care .
“ Millions of Malaysians who had decided to self-treat and selfprotect against Covid-19 with Ivermectin during the pandemic have reason to rejoice .
“ The thousands of doctors , health practitioners and consumer groups that advocated the use of Ivermectin against Covid-19 before the availability of the vaccination programme , and who had been labelled as anti-establishment , can now feel vindicated .”
MAECC has advocated for the adjunctive use of Ivermectin by general practitioners ’ clinics in early outpatient treatment against Covid-19 since early 2020 .
“ Despite our civilised , altruistic , and non-confrontational plea , we were labelled unpleasantries by certain professional groups and individuals who behaved like marketing agents for the for-profit multinational corporations promoting the Covid-19 vaccines .
“ There was a worldwide propaganda campaign against Ivermectin depicting it as ‘ horse and cow dewormer ’ and unsuitable for humans , which was much ado about nothing .”
The statement also highlighted that Ivermectin had been proclaimed an essential medicine and safe by the World Health Organisation ( WHO ), and our Ministry of Health ( MoH ) 2015 Guideline for Management of Scabies ( Adults and Children ) had listed Ivermectin as one of the treatment protocols .
“ Had the Emergency Use Act for Ivermectin been allowed months ago , the epidemic would have been controlled ,” it had said in its earlier statements .
“ This can be seen in several countries where Ivermectin was effectively used to control the spread of the disease , defying the WHO recommendation that Ivermectin not be used for Covid-19 .”
THERE ARE NO LOSERS BUT WINNERS
It cited examples such as in India when , in April 2020 , the country had the highest daily infection record in the world with 360,960 cases . Within a month after Ivermectin was mass distributed in the most affected states and cities , the infection rate was swiftly below seven thousand cases daily .
“ Numerous specialist doctors worldwide have used Ivermectin and specific micronutrients along with standard care with good results in the emergency rooms and intensive care units of their hospitals . Notable among whom are the specialists from the Front Line Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance ( FLCCC ).”
“ Despite numerous scientific studies showing the efficacy of Ivermectin against Covid-19 and the countless doctors and patients worldwide swearing its effectiveness , the world health establishments continued to pretend that it was useless and harmful to humans , to protect the Emergency Use Authorisation ( EUA ) for the Covid-19 vaccines .”
It said had Ivermectin been allowed and shown effective , the EUA for the vaccines would have been invalidated . The liability shield protecting the vaccine manufacturers from lawsuits that came with the EUA would have been negated .
“ MAECC is of the humble opinion to let the decision of the Court of Appeal stand . We humbly request the government and Health Ministry not to appeal against the judgment simply because there are no losers . All Malaysians , including the government and health authorities , are winners in this case .”
MAECC is a non-governmental group comprising six medical and consumer-related organisations , namely , Society for Advancement of Hormones and Healthy Aging Medicine Malaysia ( SAHAMM ), Malaysian Association for the Advancement of Functional and Interdisciplinary Medicine ( MAAFIM ), the Malaysian Society of Complementary Medicine ( MSCM ), Society of Natural Health Malaysia ( SNH ), Naturopathic Medical Association Malaysia ( NMAN ) and Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia ( PPIM ).