Sputnik V Vaccine: Russia's Leading Respiratory Doctor Quits Over 'Gross Violations' Of Medical Ethics
Professor Alexander Chuchalin, a leading respiratory doctor has reportedly quit in Russia over violations of medical ethics in rushing of COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V.
Russia has released the world¡¯s first coronavirus vaccine and deems it to be 'safe.' However, experts around the world, including the WHO, have raised concerned about the effectiveness of the vaccine given how ¡®rushed¡¯ its release was. Turns out, the doctors in the country itself aren't very confident about it either.
A leading respiratory doctor in Russia, Professor Alexander Chuchalin, has reportedly quit over "gross violations" of medical ethics resulting from the rushing of the release of the coronavirus vaccine. Professor Alexander Chuchalin quit the ethics council of the Russian health ministry after criticising the new Sputnik V vaccine ahead of its approval for registration.
Reportedly, Dr Chuchalin sought to block the registration of the world¡¯s first COVID-19 vaccine on ¡®safety grounds¡¯ but failed.
The expert has reportedly accused two leading medics involved in the process for flouting medical ethics in an effort to rush the vaccine into mass production. Dr Chuchalin named the director of the Gamaleya Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Prof Alexander Gintsburg, and a medical colonel and Russian army's top virologist, Prof Sergey Borisevich.
Dr Chuchalin, formulated the Russian Research Institute of Pulmonology and he had allegedly asked the medics, "Have you passed all the necessary paths approved by Russian Federation legislation and the international scientific community? Not! This job has not been done. Thus, one of the ethical principles of medicine has been grossly violated - to do no harm.¡±
"I am depressed by the position of some of our scientists who make irresponsible statements about ready-made vaccines,¡± Mail Online quoted him as saying.
He's concerned about human safety and in a previous interview has even said, ¡°Our number one task is to extract scientific data based on evidence-based medicine in order to understand that the action performed by scientists will not harm a person."
Dr Chuchalin had also stated that it was Important to know the "effect of the vaccine in the longer term," adding "the fact is that there are a number of biological substances that do not manifest themselves immediately, but only after a year or two."
Also Read: After Russia's 'Sputnik V,' Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine Provokes Immune Response