A group of six Ghent GPs is calling for a boycott of medicines produced by Israel’s Teva company. The call is addressed not only to colleagues, but also to pharmacists and members of the public. "The company supports the conflict in Gaza and human rights violations there," the doctors maintain. The Ghent GPs Association supports the call and is also passing it on to its members.
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War in Gaza: Ghent GPs call for boycott of Israeli medicines
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The GPs are asking colleagues to stop prescribing the company's products. There will also be a call to pharmacists to stop offering the medicines and to the public to stop buying them. Teva produces generic drugs, which are fairly cheap medicines. Some including paracetamol and ibuprofen are also available without a prescription.
"The taxes paid by the company contribute to the colonisation and occupation of Palestine. The company is thus also partly responsible for the current conflict. It is contradictory that Teva produces medicines to help patients while supporting human rights violations," says initiator Sofie Spiers.
"Call to other doctors, pharmacists and citizens"
The boycott urges GPs to choose other manufacturers if they can. "There are a lot of alternatives. The treatment of patients is never compromised," Spiers says. Only in exceptional cases, when there are no variants from other producers, will the GPs still prescribe Teva drugs.
The Ghent GPs Association supports the call. "We will help spread the word in our newsletter," says coordinator Fleur Simillion. "In doing so, we think it is very important to emphasise that this is the boycott of one single company. Like the initiators, we strongly condemn any form of anti-Semitism."
What does the umbrella organisation say?
The Order of Physicians is not taking any position on the boycott. "The most important thing is that the interests of patients remain paramount. Patients should be informed about the medicines they receive and have a say on them," says Michel Deneyer of the Order of Physicians. However, he understands the symbolic value of the initiative. "Doctors are often committed and also see the images from Gaza. It is understandable that the conflict has an impact on a number of them."