A California doctor is under investigation by the California Medical Board for allegedly abusing her position by issuing unwarranted waivers for vaccines. The board claims her actions constitute gross negligence and put people’s lives at risk. While all medical professionals will have personal opinions about specific issues, doctors must abide by the standards defined by the relevant authorities.
Vaccines have long been a divisive issue. However, in California, the law says that children can only attend school if they have been vaccinated against specified illnesses. The state issued new legislation that came into effect at the beginning of 2020 to crack down on doctors issuing vaccine waivers without a valid medical reason.
While some may feel that the vaccine rule is an infringement of their rights, if you want to work as a medic in the state, you need to adhere to the licensing board regulations. That is the deal you make for them to give you a license to operate. It does not prohibit you from writing vaccine exemptions, as long as you can justify them. Under the new ruling, you can only issue waivers in accordance with strict guidelines, and you can no longer charge for the service.
The state health board has said it will investigate all medics that have issued more than five exemptions in a year. It will also review all exemptions issued where schools do not have the minimum 95% of their pupils vaccinated. Some doctors could come under unfounded suspicion because of this.
You should take any challenge to your medical license seriously. Otherwise, you could see the license you worked so hard to get, suspended or revoked.
