General practitioners in Queensland are calling for calm after a doctor was allegedly assaulted for refusing to give a patient a COVID-19 vaccination exemption.
Police were called to the Sonic HealthPlus medical centre in Moranbah on November 19.
"It will be alleged a 48-year-old attended the premises and became involved in a verbal altercation with a 39-year-old male medical worker in relation to a private medical matter," a police spokesperson said.
"The 48-year-old Moranbah man was arrested and charged with assault occasioning bodily harm in a public place whilst adversely affected by an intoxicating substance and public nuisance."
The man is due to appear in the Moranbah Magistrates Court on December 9.
The ABC understands the medical worker that was assaulted was a GP who was refusing to give the man a COVID-19 vaccination exemption.
'Quite demoralising'
Nicole Higgins, who owns and operates Health on Central in Mackay, says she has made changes to how her practice runs because of the level of abuse her staff have received.
"We've had emails, we've had letters that have been sent in that have been threatening," she said.
"As a business owner I've got to make sure that my doctors and staff are safe, that they're able to go to their car parks at night.
Dr Higgins said the practice was noting details of threatening phone calls and reporting them to police.
"We've got so many exhausted people in primary care, in GP surgeries and hospitals [across Australia], who are really doing the best that they can to look after people," she said.
"And it is quite demoralising, but we have to remember that it's only a very small part of our community and everybody else is incredibly thankful and grateful for the work that health workers do."
'Threatened, upset and scared'
Townsville-based Michael Clements, the north area representative on the AMA Queensland Council, said doctors understood feelings were strong amongst certain groups of people.
"They feel threatened, upset and scared about mandatory vaccination rules that are affecting their lives and livelihoods," he said.
"But sadly … these fears and anxieties, and sometimes anger, is actually playing out within the consultation room with doctors.
Dr Clements said patients with a "depth of feeling and fear" were turning that into "intimidation" and putting pressure on clinicians to get what they wanted.
"We've got very clear guidelines for GPs about when we can write things like vaccine exemptions and things like mask exemptions," he said.
"When doctors act outside of those guidelines, the doctors themselves can be subject to action by [the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency]."
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) says temporary exemptions of no more than six months could be given to those with an active COVID-19 infection, or to people with Inflammatory cardiac illnesses.
"Nobody needs to be threatened or feel fearful for following what are very clear scientific principles and guidelines from the state and federal governments and all of the health specialists," Dr Clements said.
Sonic HealthPlus has been contacted for comment.
