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DOCS BRIBED TO BULLY PARENTS INTO MMR JABS
Kids struck off to meet targets

DOCTORS are being offered cash by the government to give children the controversial MMR jab.

And some GPs are so desperate to get the money, they are ‘striking off' youngsters who don't have the injection.

The combined MMR vaccine for Measles, Mumps and Rubella has been linked to autism and bowel conditions and the News of the World is campaigning for the government to offer parents single jabs for each disease.

However the Department of Health has set doctors a target which means they can claim £2,730 if they immunise 90 per cent of their patients aged two and under with the MMR jab.

The medics get the money if the youngsters also have injections to protect them against other diseases.

But while parents have no objections to vaccinating their kids against illnesses such as whooping cough, polio and diphtheria, thousands are worried that the MMR jab could cause harm and are refusing to let the GPs give it to their kids.

So, in order to get the bonus, some doctors are ‘cooking the books'.

They de-register those youngsters on their lists who don't have the injection and re-classify them as ‘temporary residents' instead.

A temporary resident can get the same care from their GP as a permanent resident, but may have to pay for their treatment.

Magda Taylor, from The Informed Parents Charity, is adamant that doctors are fixing the figures to get the cash. She said: "Doctors seem to be cooking the books. They may tell the government they've reached the 90 per cent target, but in reality that figure is much less.

"If they exclude patients who are reluctant to have the vaccination from their registers, the figures aren't true."

Mum Karen Kennedy-Milne, of Kingston, Surrey, was furious when she got a letter from her doctor saying her toddler Abigail would be treated as a ‘temporary resident' because she hadn't had the MMR jab.

She said: "My choice for my children has been compromised by doctors trying to cash in on my child's health."

Power

Abigail's doctor refused to comment when we contacted her at the Canbury Medical Centre, but the tot was reinstated as a full member of the surgery after we called.

John Stark, communications director of the Kingston Primary Care Trust, told the News of the World: "The trust tried to resolve the issue between the Canbury Medical Centre and the Kennedy-Milnes by contacting the family to offer assistance. The issue has now been resolved."

But he admitted the trust did not have the power to stop GPs de-registering patients for monetary gain.

He said: "The trust's policy is that children should not be removed from GP lists to influence target payments. But GPs are self-employed and they don't have to follow our guidelines."

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ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.  THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.