In “Trouble in Paradise Surrounding the use of Ivermectin” Sonia Elijah reported that Dr. Gilbertha St. Rose, an integrative healthcare physician was at the center of a storm brewing in the Caribbean island nation of Saint. Lucia. An advocate for early treatment of COVID-19 with therapies such as ivermectin, the doctor had been summoned to go before the Saint Lucia Medical and Dental Council (SLMDC) to face “medical misconduct” charges. Since then, a judge issued a stay of execution on a decision by the SLMDC to not only fine Dr. St. Rose but also suspend her license.
Vaccine hesitancy in the Caribbean is high. With a population of about 170,000, this southeastern Caribbean nation, about 28% of the population is fully vaccinated. The island nation’s Ministry of Health and Wellness reports over 20,000 SARS-CoV-2 cases overall and 358 deaths.
Dr. St. Rose takes on the Establishment
With a $10,000 fine and six-month suspension, attorneys for the doctor applied for leave to initiate a Judicial Review of the December 8 punishment. Now on February 18, 2022, Justice Rohan A. Philip ruled in favor of the doctor. However, the judge included a condition—Dr. St. Rose cannot prescribe Ivermectin to her patients until the case is resolved, reports St. Lucia News Online.
The island’s medical establishment came after Dr. St. Rose with heavy allegations. Dr. Sharon Belmar George, the SLMDC Chief Medical Officer as well as the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs accused her of not only promoting an “unauthorized drug” but also alleged that St. Rose was “engaging in clinical trials of ivermectin, contrary to local regulations” reports the local media.
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With two weeks to file the argument against the fine and license suspension, Dr. St. Rose not only rejected these claims but strongly sought to counter the claims. She told the press “She was simply utilizing her medical and professional autonomy in the use of an approved drug.” In normal times physicians can care for patients in such a manner.
The doctor also claimed that she was “Using the drug off-label, safely and efficaciously, as has been increasingly occurring with many other drugs, including Ivermectin, in the private and even public sectors the world over.”
Dr. St. Rose is correct in that dozens of nations have allowed, if not just for temporary or provisional purposes the use of ivermectin. From India and Bangladesh to South Africa and Slovakia health authorities have embraced ivermectin as an emergency, off-label treatment against COVID-19.
Controversy Reigns
A controversial topic in the United States dozens of state legislatures are proposing laws to protect physicians prescribing certain FDA-approved, off-label drugs such as ivermectin and even hydroxychloroquine. With nearly 79 human studies completed during the pandemic, most medical national establishments, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO), reject any positive study results as the result of inferior, poorly designed studies.
While a handful of high-profile studies failed to show efficacy, those outcomes were immediately embraced by mainstream media.
TrialSite has communicated with some health executives from low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) reporting that they cannot share that they are using ivermectin publicly due to pressure from WHO.
Dr. St. Rose recently shared that the court’s ruling giving her some time for review was a “Hallelujah moment.” Now the local press reports she and her attorneys have till March 4th to file a “Fixed Date Claim” in response to the Council for her Application with the first hearing planned for April 28, 2022.
Around the world, this pandemic led medical establishments to reject the traditional autonomy given to physicians.