Le Figaro Nantes
On 13 September, a former ENT specialist practising in Fontenay-le-Comte (Vendée) was heard by the Pays de la Loire Regional Council of the Order of Physicians for having issued 89 false health passes. On Thursday, the Disciplinary Chamber of First Instance issued its decision. Michel Procureur, who had already closed his practice after a denunciation, was given a "ban on practising medicine for a period of three years", from 1 February 2024 to 31 January 2027, unless he appeals. "I'm thinking about it. I'll make my decision in a day or two," he told Le Figaro.
In a press release, the specialized administrative court considers that Mr. Prosecutor "who had, on the one hand, continued to receive patients in consultation until the beginning of May 2022 by virtue of a false vaccination certificate, on the other hand, issued eighty-nine false vaccination certificates in favor of members of his family and colleagues, seriously disregarded his ethical obligations, and in particular the duties of morality and probity".
On June 16, 2022, the Vendée Departmental Council of the Order of Physicians had requested a sanction against the otorhinolaryngology specialist for several reasons. Firstly, non-compliance with the vaccination obligation, continuity of practice despite his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid and the issuance of false certificates. Secondly, the refusal to wear a mask during consultations. Finally, the prescription of ivermectin and azithromycin 'outside the compliance criteria of their marketing authorisation'.
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'Whistleblower'
During his hearing, Michel Procureur, sometimes on the verge of tears, had assumed and justified his choices by "a lack of understanding of health choices" and the "benefits of vaccination that have never appeared to be obvious". "I was terrified of this vaccine," he said. On his way out, he was applauded for a long time by a good hundred people who had come to support him.
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If we, doctors, can no longer be whistleblowers, who will?" said Michel Procureur by phone on Thursday evening. "For my part, I only did my job, I wanted to avoid sudden death by heart attack or myocarditis for my children and patients," he reiterated. The 65-year-old professional, who is also the subject of a judicial investigation, had closed up shop at the age of 63 and a half, early: "To have my full retirement, I would have had to work until the age of 67. I have a loss of 17%, a loss of income from my customers bought in 1995 that I have not been able to put back (resell, editor's note)." The specialist, who is considered a hero by some, says he has been suffering "moral damage of notoriety" in his city since his hearing.
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Two other doctors not sanctioned
On 13 September, two other doctors were heard by the same disciplinary chamber, after complaints from the Maine-et-Loire departmental council of the Order of Physicians. An unqualified general practitioner and a specialist in cardiovascular pathology had stopped practising after refusing the vaccine. In particular, they were singled out for having failed to meet their ethical obligations. In these situations, the Chamber ruled "that a doctor who refused to be vaccinated against the virus, and who thus no longer fulfilled the legal conditions allowing him to carry out his activity as of 15 September 2021, cannot, for that reason alone, be regarded as having breached an ethical obligation".
In addition, the court specifies in the press release that "the caregivers who had taken the decision to cease their activity as of the beginning of September 2021 and who had not stated to any of their patients the reasons why they were suspending their duties, did not exceed the limits that the duties of refraining from discrediting the profession justify bringing to the right of any person to refuse or not to receive treatment".