Johannesburg - A prominent medical expert and heart surgeon Dr Susan Vosloo has found herself in hot water for making “problematic” anti-vaccine remarks in a viral video.
Vosloo was South Africa’s first female heart surgeon and performed her first heart transplant at the age of 33. However, the doctor from Netcare’s Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital made controversial claims about Covid-19 vaccines in a video that was publicised on BitChute on August 10.
In the video, she claimed that Covid19 was the first medical condition to be “predominantly mismanaged not by knowledgeable people, by politicians, bureaucrats, and academics”. She added that the disease was fuelled by “relentless scaremongering” by the media.
“The risk of the vaccine is worse than the risk of virus,” she added. She likened the composition of the vaccines to a trade secret such as the KFC spice mixture. “The composition … is largely confidential. It’s like a trade secret and it’s not possible to share it with anyone, like the spice mixture of KFC, but this is a treatment. It’s invasive for any person receiving it,” Vosloo said.
She added that no safety data was available on the vaccines.
Dr Susan Vosloo, the first South African female heart surgeon. Listen to what she's gotta say about the covid 19 vaccine. pic.twitter.com/J8HQC1FoI9
— iDelakufa (@mrembula_T) August 13, 2021
The surgeon said that other adverse events of the vaccine included death, severe neurological complications and infertility. She added that there was concern that it may speed up the formation of mutations.
Vosloo’s controversial claims have been met with dismay in the healthcare sector. The Netcare group said it disassociated itself from her opinions.
In a statement on Friday, managing director of Netcare’s Hospital division Jacques du Plessis expressed “profound disappointment and disbelief” in learning about the publication of the video.
He said the video contradicted the views and endeavours of the National Department of Health as well as global institutions such as the World Health Organization. “Given the grave implications of the comments made by Dr Vosloo and the potential deleterious impact on both national and global efforts to curb Covid-19, Netcare completely dissociates itself from Dr Vosloo’s anti-vaccination message,” he said.
“We have treated more than 110 000 Covid-positive patients throughout the group, of which more than 50 000 required hospitalisation in our hospitals alone. We have sadly lost 76 of our colleagues. As a health-care organisation deeply committed to the health and well-being of all South Africans, we stand squarely behind the efforts to vaccinate as many individuals as soon as possible,” said Du Plessis.
The Star