3 days ago
Protest held in support of GP Marcus de Brun who is facing inquiry over views on pandemic measures
Dr de Brun, who ran Rush Family Practice in Rush, north Dublin, is facing an allegation of professional misconduct and accused of failing to support public health guidelines during the pandemic.
A hearing of his case before the Medical Council, which regulates doctors, has been postponed until July.
A number of GPs who were at the protest today called it a 'A Peaceful Assembly for Medical Freedom'.
They asked people to join them in support of Dr de Brun and other GPs who continue to 'feel the impact of calling a halt to the Covid vaccines and are demanding a comprehensive and transparent investigation in to Covid 19 policies'.
They were joined by other supporters with placards as they called for the freedom for doctors to express opinions.
Dr de Brun who was appointed to the Medical Council by the then Minister for Health Simon Harris in 2018 later resigned in 2020 when he criticised the Government's handling of the Covid-19 crisis in relating to nursing homes.
He said at the time that 'unquestionably the most vulnerable cohort of patients in Ireland are those residents of nursing homes'.
'This fact should have been entirely obvious to all involved in the management of the crisis.'
The European Medicines Agency said Covid vaccines continue to protect people from severe disease and death caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
Vaccination is the best tool to prevent the consequences of infection, said the watchdog. It said that infection can cause severe disease and long-term damage, including in healthy adults and children.
'It remains particularly dangerous for older or sick people with low immunity and those with faulty immune systems.
'Estimates indicate that millions of lives have been saved by Covid-19 vaccination.'
Meanwhile, a new fast-spreading Covid variant has arrived in Ireland .The NB.1.8.1 is blamed for a sharp surge in cases of the virus in China in particular and it is the dominant strain in western Australia .
Fourteen cases have been confirmed in Ireland after sequencing but it is expected to spread in the coming weeks.
