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Rendsburg (pte050/03.04.2003/17:49) - A German doctor is being investigated over allegations he has breached ethical standards by banning British and American patients from his surgery as a protest against the war.
Dr Eberhard Hoffmann, who works as dermatologist and specialist for venereal disease in the north German city of Rendsburg, Schleswig-Holstein, told Reuters Health: "I refuse American and British citizens as well as I refuse all sympathisers of the war entry to my surgery. This war against Iraq is a crime, and I don't understand why I should have to treat war criminals."
Hoffmann, 61, claims his protest is aimed at raising people's awareness of what is happening in Iraq and making them question it. He said: "I wanted to give people food for thought because they are not thinking critically anymore. People have forgotten how to differentiate."
The sign he attached to the door of his surgery when the war against Iraq started reads: "We always hear about the collective guilt of Germans, and by the same token I am not prepared to treat Americans, Britons or their sympathisers."
But the controversial move has landed him in hot water with the German Chamber of Doctors http://www.bundesaerztekammer.de . The local branch office in Bad Segeberg http://www.aeksh.de/Startseite/indexie.htm has compiled a report that has been handed over to public prosecutors.
In Germany membership of the Chamber of Doctors is compulsory for all medical doctors and the organization not only fights for their rights, but also checks that its members meet the required professional and ethical standards. The prosecutors who are studying the report will decide whether to bring charges.
Edda Oppermann, spokeswoman for the Medical Chamber, told Reuters Health: "We've passed the case on to the public prosecutor who is now looking into it. The Chamber has also started examining whether Dr Hoffmann acted against his professional duty and the Hippocratic Oath."
Oppermann also confirmed that, although the doctor had been asked to remove the poster, he had refused and remains unrepentant about the move. Hoffmann said he has received hundreds of faxes and letters that expressed their support for his measures. He said: "Of course, I will treat emergency cases but otherwise it is entirely up to me who I treat. The sign will remain on the door until the war is over." (newsfox-special Iraq)
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