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The German government has sharply refuted accusations from U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that it has been neglecting patient autonomy, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The remarks made by the US health minister are completely unfounded, inconsistent with the facts and must be rejected,” German Health Minister Nina Woken said in a statement on Saturday night.
Kennedy said in a video earlier Saturday that he had sent a letter to the German minister based on reports from Germany. Germany The government “limits people’s ability to act on their beliefs when faced with medical decisions.”
The U.S. Surgeon General said, “I am aware that more than 1,000 German doctors and thousands of patients are facing prosecution and punishment for being exempted from wearing masks or receiving COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic.”
Walken disputed Kennedy’s claims, saying “the medical community has never been under any obligation to administer COVID-19 vaccines during the coronavirus pandemic. Anyone who does not want to provide vaccination for medical, ethical or personal reasons will not be prosecuted or fear sanctions.”
Kennedy did not provide specific examples or say which reports he was referring to, but added, “In my letter, I explained that Germany targets doctors who put their patients first and punishes citizens for making their own medical choices.”
He concluded: “The German government is now violating the sacred doctor-patient relationship and replacing it with a dangerous system that makes doctors the executors of state policy.”
Kennedy said he made clear in his letter that “Germany has an opportunity and a responsibility to correct this trajectory, restore medical autonomy and end politically motivated prosecutions.”
Walken noted that there are no professional bans or fines for not getting vaccinated.
“Criminal proceedings will only be instituted in cases of fraud and falsification of documents, such as the issuance of false vaccination certificates or false mask certificates,” the minister said.
She also clarified that in Germany generally “patients are also free to decide which treatment they wish to receive.”
Karl Lauterbach, the former German health minister in charge of the pandemic, also responded, addressing Kennedy directly on X, saying he “should be concerned about the health problems in his country. Short life expectancy, high costs, tens of thousands of drug deaths and murder victims.”
“In Germany, doctors are not punished by the government for issuing false medical certificates. In our country, courts are independent,” Lauterbach wrote.
Although most german During the pandemic, Germany has also seen protests by a minority of vaccine skeptics, sometimes backed by far-right movements, despite people’s desire to be vaccinated against COVID-19.