A north Kildare GP has been slammed for after he revealed that he is refusing to administer COVID-19 vaccines to patients.
Dr Gerard Waters, of Whitethorn Clinic in Celbridge,is also refusing to refer patients for coronavirus tests as he disagrees with how the Covid virus has been handled by authorities.
"I'm a conscientious objector," he said in a statement to RTE's Liveline.
"I will not be administering the vaccine. I do not refer people for COVID tests.
"I will not put anything into someone else's arm that I would not put into my own arm as a doctor.
"If circumstances change I will change and I'm not willing to administer an experimental messenger RNA virus vaccine."
Dr Waters added that he will not stand in the way of his patients getting the vaccine elsewhere but said it is up to the HSE to sort jabs for them and he will pass over any patient list if needed.
The GP's stance was slammed by a fellow healthcare professional who contacted the show.
Nurse Maeve Warren said she had never heard of anything like it in over 20 years of practice, calling Dr Waters' views "disgraceful" and urging the Irish Medical Organisation to investigate the issue.
She said: "The governing body that governs GPs may need to have a serious look at what's going on.
"I would be of the opinion that he has a duty of care to his patients.
"No matter what we think of clinicians, we have a duty of care to provide care to them."
Another GP, Pat Morrissey from Limerick, said he too has reservations about the vaccine, telling host Joe Duffy he has been made a "pariah" among his colleagues because of his views.
Statements to Liveline from the IMO and HSE said they were not aware of any GP not participating in vaccination programme.
A HSE spokeswoman told Dublin Live: "The HSE has not been formally advised by any GP that they are not participating in the programme.
"If in the event that a GP does advise us that they will not be participating, the HSE will respond rapidly to make arrangements for affected patients.
"Alternative arrangements are being planned in the event of such a scenario."
Dublin Live has contacted the IMO for further comment.
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