A B.C. emergency doctor helping in Alberta hospitals says he was relieved of duty for administering Ivermectin to patients in a small central-Alberta hospital..Dr. Daniel Nagase graduated from Dalhousie University in 2004 and went on to work as an emergency doctor for 10 years. In 2015, Nagase went on to practice in rural, under-served communities in Alberta..Nagase spoke at the Vancouver Art Gallery last Friday for the 75 Anniversary of the Nuremberg Code and shared his experience in the Rimbey, Alta. hospital while he was caring for three COVID19 patients in September..“All the patients were on oxygen and extremely short of breath. The only medication these patients were on was steroids, a medication that will decrease inflammation, but increase the chances of a bacterial infection by suppressing the immune system,” said Nagase..Speaking with the patients, Nagase suggested they try Ivermectin, an anti-parasite drug that’s been blacklisted for the treatment of COVID-19, yet has shown promise in recent ongoing studies..“All three patients wanted to try Ivermectin,” said Nagase..Nagase wasn’t able to find any at the hospital and said the Red Deer Hospital’s Central Pharmacy “refused to send Ivermectin” telling him it was “useless for COVID.”.He was then contacted by Dr. Gerald Lazarenko, the provincial medical director for pharmacy services for Alberta Health Services (AHS) who “insisted that Ivermectin had no place in the treatement of COVID.”.In the meantime, Nagase says he reached out to the local pharmacy for Ivermectin and started his three patients on Hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug approved to treat autoimmune conditions..“I also started Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Zinc,” said Nagase, who added he gave them Salbutamol and Flovent inhalors along with the antibiotic Azithromycin..Nagase said by late that afternoon the town pharmacist was able to acquire Ivermectin from an agriculture supply. The pharmacist double-checked and confirmed the product was the exact same as that used for humans and Nagase then provided the appropriate dose to his patients according to their weight..Within hours of obtaining the Ivermectin, Nagase says he got a call from Dr. Jennifer Bestard, the central zone medical director, informing him he was “forbidden from giving Ivermectin to patients.”.“She said it was a violation of AHS policy to give Ivermectin for COVID..“But that wasn’t good enough. The next day she called the hospital and gave me 15 minutes notice that I would be relieved of my duties.”.Nagase confirmed an hour later a local doctor arrived to replace him..“They didn’t even want me to check up on the patients who I gave Ivermectin to,” he said..“Not even 24 hours after getting Ivermectin, two out of my three patients were almost completely better. They were out of bed walking around and all the crackles I heard in their lungs from the day before were gone. All it took was about 18 hours and one dose of Ivermectin.”.Nagase said his third patient, a 95-year-old, stayed the same but “didn’t get any worse like she had done the night previous.”.“I found out later that no sooner had I left Rimbey hospital, the next doctor who came to replace me stopped the antibiotics, stopped all the vitamins, she even stopped the patient’s inhalers, to help her breathe.”.Nagase has since learned that two of the patients he treated had both left the hospital that week..“No doctor would take away antibiotics and inhalers for any viral pneumonia, never mind COVID. No doctor would do that to any patient with a pneumonia. Unless they were … Well I’ll let you think about that,” said Nagase in his speech..Nagase says he has been banned from hospital practice throughout all of Alberta by AHS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Fraincois Belanger. He also says after he filed a complaint against Dr. Lazarenko for withholding a life-saving medication from patients, “the Alberta College of Physicians and Surgeons forbade doctors and pharmacists from giving patients Ivermectin.”.“There is something malicious going on. I hope you can all see the bigger picture.”.The Western Standard reached out to AHS for a comment on Dr. Nagase’s allegations and was told to refer to a statement shared on their Twitter account..The tweet says AHS is aware of the speech made by Dr. Nagase and says they do not approve of the use of Ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19..“All physicians – including temporary locums – are governed by AHS’ medical bylaws when working in an AHS facility. Under these bylaws, there are expectations for all physicians to follow regarding unapproved use of medical therapy,” said AHS..“Requirements from provincial regulatory bodies for medical staff must be adhered to. Registrants of these governing bodies must not provide care that does not meet the expected standards of their profession.”.Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandardonline.com
