Austrian Health Minister says doctors liable for COVID vaccine injuries

A few weeks ago, Austria scrapped its vaccine mandate, Health Minister Johannes Rauch explaining that, “No one is getting vaccinated because of the compulsory vaccination ... we can only achieve [wider vaccine coverage] when it is on a voluntary basis.”

Rauch promised a “comprehensive package of measures” in place of mandatory jabs, but a parliamentary question directed at him this week didn’t relate to this package. Instead, he was presented with 10 pages of questions on liability for vaccines, to which he provided the outrageous answer that the nation’s doctors are responsible for what went wrong.

Rauch was technically correct when he said that Austrian doctors are legally obligated to ensure that vaccine recipients provide free and informed consent to any medical procedure, including COVID vaccination. He was also technically correct when he noted that the fine for failing to report adverse effects is €7,500, and up to €14,000 for repeated cases. The only problem for doctors was that if they followed the law and disclosed the truth of the COVID shots, they faced the loss of their license to prescribe medication.

(Translation) Today we spoke to a doctor friend of ours:

Doctors are not allowed to report any vaccine damage, not even suspected cases! Strict instructions from the Medical Association. Anyone who violates this has the right to prescribe [medication] revoked.

Wochenblick, which reported on Rauch’s latest statements, added that not only adverse effects must legally be reported, but also “lack of efficacy,” prompting the question of whether breakthrough infections would therefore be included. Either way, they note, “not a single notification of this kind has yet been received,” which is unsurprising given the consequences for reporting.

Furthermore, doctors have protested that patients’ vaccination status is not always entered in their medical records, something which Rauch admitted: “There is no explicit legal obligation to collect a ‘vaccination status’ from patients.” However, he stressed that, “If there is suspicion of a vaccination side-effect or the lack of the expected efficacy,” doctors must report.

When asked what the Ministry is doing to ensure the reporting of side effects, Rauch replied that all responsibility lies with the doctors. 

Perhaps Pfizer could help out? After all, in 2020 alone, Pfizer gave more than €31 million to the Austrian healthcare system. And they’re not the only pharma company deeply enmeshed in that system. Doctors’ training courses on COVID shots have been organized by DFP, which is sponsored by Sanofi, Merck, J&J and others.