Letter to IAP: Pediatricians threaten to "beat me up"!


To 
Sri Panna Choudhury 
President 
Indian Academy of Pediatricians 
Mumbai
Dt: 14.08.09 

Dear Sir, 

Sub: Consent of Parents before Vaccinating Infants. 

Namaskar. Please note I have been directed to write this letter to you by very eminent physicians of India who wish to remain anonymous at present.
This has reference to the telephonic conversation I had with you yesterday. I wish to report that a colleague of mine had his wife admitted to a local hospital for delivery. A baby boy was born to him on the 9^th of August. On the 12^th of August the baby was prescribed the Hepatitis-B vaccination.
My colleague is well aware of the controversial nature of this vaccine and it’s after effects and also that it is not included within the UIP. He thus made a decision not to allow this vaccination to the administered to the infant.
However all the eight pediatricians of the hospital rushed to him and warned of grave dangers if the child was not vaccinated. My friend was surprised and protested vehemently to the extent of tearing apart the prescription but the doctors persisted and ultimately vaccinated the child. When my friend took my name the doctors reportedly said, “Bring him here and we will thrash him.”
The entire episode reflects very poorly upon the attitude of pediatricians. When I spoke about this to other non pediatric doctors they were taken aback and requested me to take up the matter with you which I did. I also talked to Dr Ajay Gambhir. Later Dr Aurobindo Mohanty called me up and assured the doctors meant no harm and that I should let the matter rest. *However this incident has shaken us to the core and shocked responsible members of the society to whom I have narrated the incident*.
I visited the hospital and learnt from the other patients that doctors vaccinating in spite of parent’s protest is routine. From reliable sources I learnt that this happens in all hospitals.
As I have requested you yesterday, and have conveyed to three past President’s of IAP, I sincerely wish that you evolve guidelines for doctors to respect the wishes of the parents. *It is not mandatory that children should be vaccinated*. Modern medicine is only a part of India ’s health care which continues to be dominated by other holistic systems. Except for modern medicine no other system advocates unnecessary medication of children let alone injecting them with potent toxins without any scientific justification.
I would request you once again to;
1. Devise a format of informed consent that parents should sign before vaccines beyond the UIP can be administered to infants. This document should contain all side effects as per scientific studies conducted and published in peer reviewed journals.
2. Doctors sign a Physicians Warranty of Vaccine Safety and take personal responsibility for side effects from the vaccines beyond the UIP
3. The doctors personally compensate children and bear their entire cost of treatment if they are vaccine damaged. After all the optional vaccines not sanctioned by the Govt of India. The doctors give them to augment their income.
If you so require, I and other rights activists can help you with the formalities of preparing the formats. I am sure concerned citizen of our society would approve of these small steps. We cannot allow any doctor to inject studied poisons and heavy metals into infants and that too forcibly, however laudable be their attempts to “protect the society”.. 


Kindly let me know your decision on the matter. 


Yours faithfully, 

Jagannath Chatterjee

cc: All eminent personalities of Odisha