A Kildare-based GP has appeared before a fitness-to-practice inquiry over allegations that he made comments disapproving of the use of Covid-19 vaccines and displayed anti-vaccine posters in his surgery during the pandemic.
Dr Neville Wilson, of The Harbour Medical Clinic in Kilcock, Co Kildare, has denied two counts of professional misconduct as well as poor professional performance over his interactions with two patients.
The South-African born medic is accused of suggesting to a patient that he should not have received the Covid-19 vaccination because it was dangerous during a visit to his surgery on July 6th, 2021.
Dr Wilson is also facing an allegation of failing to wear a mask at his surgery on May 4th, 2022 and failing to ensure that staff and members of the public also wore masks.
It is claimed that he also told a man, identified as Witness B, that face masks and vaccines were ineffective against Covid.
The inquiry before the Medical Council’s Fitness to Practise Committee arose out of complaints from two patients.
Witness B gave evidence that he found it “extremely worrying” that posters displayed in the surgery suggested Covid was not as dangerous when he brought his one-month-old baby and his wife to Dr Wilson’s practice on May 4th, 2022.
The man, who works in the health services, said he was also “shocked” that the GP’s receptionist was not wearing a face mask in compliance with HSE guidelines.
Witness B said “an extremely sick-looking” patient, who was coughing, had come out from the doctor’s surgery without a mask followed by Dr Wilson who also had no face covering.
When he raised the issue with the GP, he claimed that Dr Wilson replied: “We don’t wear masks in this place.”
The inquiry heard an argument developed between the two men over Covid during which Witness B told the doctor that it was “disgraceful” that he was “pushing an agenda that was not helpful.”
Witness B said the GP became very annoyed that he had the nerve to question him and replied that masks and vaccines were not helpful.
“That was his main point. It was all overblown,” Witness B added.
Cross-examined by Dr Wilson, the man denied that he had caused a disturbance in the surgery and that he had pointed his finger and screamed at the GP.
However, Witness B acknowledged that he had questioned the doctor about his views on masks and vaccines as well as the posters.
He claimed Dr Wilson had replied: “This is not a place where we push vaccinations” and further claimed that vaccinations were not effective, not proven and not helpful.
Witness B disputed the GP’s claim that he had replied he was not “anti-vax” but “pro-science.”
He also disagreed with the suggestion by Dr Wilson that he had confused the receptionist for another patient.
The man’s wife, who was identified as Witness C, also gave evidence supporting her husband’s version of events.
The inquiry heard how the couple both thought the surgery looked unclean, while she recalled that her husband claimed its toilet was “the most disgusting” he had ever seen.
Witness C said she found the posters on the wall “very strange” and had already decided to leave the surgery before she saw Dr Wilson.
The inquiry also heard how a patient known as Witness A attended Dr Wilson’s surgery on July 6th 2021 for a blood test.
The man said Dr Wilson, who was not wearing a mask in his clinic, told him he should not have got vaccinated after he informed the GP that he was fully vaccinated.
He claimed they had a lengthy discussion during which the doctor claimed the vaccine would not stop people from getting Covid and had recommended a herbal remedy instead.
“He said I would be better off not having the vaccine,” Witness A added.
He gave evidence of feeling uncomfortable and becoming “a little irate”, so he asked Dr Wilson if he was a fan of Dr Andrew Wakefield, a UK doctor who was struck off over his role in linking the MMR vaccine with autism.
Witness A recalled that Dr Wilson replied: “He [Wakefield] has been proven right.”
The patient claimed the GP also referred him to a letter that had allegedly been sent to the then UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, by a former Pfizer executive, Mike Yeadon, claiming the Covid-19 vaccine was dangerous.
Witness A, who is a healthcare worker, said Dr Wilson believed the vaccine would cause more deaths than the number of patients it would help.
He also claimed that the GP told him he could take five times the recommended limit of vitamin D to boost his immunity as Dr Wilson had done so and was “bulletproof.”
Witness A told counsel for the Medical Council, Eoghan O’Sullivan BL, that he had made a complaint about Dr Wilson because he believed vaccines were the “only defence” and “only option at the time.”
However, Dr Wilson claimed the patient misinterpreted what happened during the consultation and did not appear to understand the difference “between the efficacy and effectiveness” of vaccines.
Dr Wilson said the patient appeared anxious, and he proceeded to warn him about a lot of “suspect and not very scientific” statements and misinformation in the media.
The doctor said he stressed that he believed the patient had acquired natural immunity by already having had Covid and that antibodies were more powerful than any vaccine.
He denied that he had told Witness A that he should not have been vaccinated.
Dr Wilson, who has worked in Ireland since 2004, previously worked in Dublin, Wexford and Maynooth before setting up a practice in Kilcock.
The former pilot with the South African Air Force became a naturalised Irish citizen in 2013.
The hearing was adjourned to a further date still to be determined to hear evidence from an expert witness.
