Doctors and science

This October, when the 18th Doctor’s Day is celebrated, events appear in the CPI for the covid-19 pandemic, notably the Prevent Senior case and the Public Defender-General of the Union (DPU) civil action against the CFM (Federal Council of Medicine), put Medical category at the National Debate Center.

Several columnists from all over Brazil have taken a stand criticizing this class for its disrespect for science and its massive support for the government. I understand that it is impossible to prove both areas. The thousands of physicians and medics who worked on the front lines of the pandemic acted with science-based clinical protocols, as they did in SUS units (the vast majority of purpose-built beds) or in special health-committed units of the population.

These protocols, including medications, have been modified with strong scientific evidence. Access to this data has been facilitated, with most scientific journals providing publications in the field of covid-19 free of charge and easily accessible. Therefore, we cannot describe the actions of the medical class by a minority who have advocated and, worse still, continue to advocate preventive and early treatments on the basis of “Covid tools,” a commercial and anti-science bet.

The foundations of scientific research in Brazil have been completely insulted by experiments without the approval of the CEP/CONEP system. Research Ethics Committees (CEPs) are regional bodies and the National Research Ethics Council (CONEP) is the highest ethical evaluation body for research protocols involving humans. In some private health units, part of the network of some health plans and insurances, experiments were conducted on humans as if we were living in an exceptional time, such as the Nazis or before the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In this context comes the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM), which on April 16, 2020 issued an opinion 04/2020, drafted by President Mauro Ribeiro, which puts forward the possibility of using chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine associated only with state autonomy. Physician and patient authorization, without regard to the existing scientific basis, which was standardized in the following months, showing the inactivity of these drugs for SARSCOV2. This position has undermined the professional practice of clinicians operating on the basis of scientific evidence, leaving them at the mercy of health mercenaries and pressure from uninformed patients and families, including based on false news, poorly performing research, and inappropriate interpretation of scientific articles.

It is also difficult to measure doctors’ support for the current government, but there is a lot of resistance in associations, networks, and in most specialist societies.

The group of doctors and clinicians cannot be blamed for the wrong attitude of CFM. We are victims and we are not responsible for this Brazilian tragedy!

Siusi Nunes, Director of the Koto Maya Institute

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