When two wrongs don't make a right: Doctor prescribed Ivermectin for myocarditis—even though tests ruled out the condition

A Manitoba doctor who prescribed Ivermectin to a patient he misdiagnosed with myocarditis—even after EKG results came back normal—has been censured and ordered to pay $6,165 in hearing costs. Dr. Wilhemus Petrus Grobler, a family physician in Winnipeg, was also found to be in breach of an undertaking he signed in October 2020 with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba, which was concerned that Dr. Grobler was making statements about COVID-19 that did not align with public health directives. The latter finding involved a September 2021 appointment with a patient under the age of 18, when Dr. Grobler failed to wear a mask and allowed one of the patient’s parents to unmask. During this appointment, he also conveyed information about the pandemic and vaccines contrary to public health recommendations and regulatory standards, according to the censure document. “By doing so in his capacity as a physician, he lent credibility to misinformation from unreliable sources,” wrote the college. Read: Some SARS-CoV-2 variants showing signs of becoming resistant to Paxlovid Dr. Grobler’s other misconduct stemmed from a June 2021 consultation with a 34-year-old patient who came into a rural emergency room with mild chest pain and tightness, shortnes of breath and general flu-like symptoms. Approximately two weeks earlier the patient had received a first COVID vaccine dose. The patient’s blood tests, EKG and chest X-ray did not show any abnormalities and the patient was sent home. Dr. Grobler considered that the patient might have myocarditis, a known complication of the COVID virus which has also been reported as a rare complication from COVID vaccination. He repeated the tests, which again came back normal with the exception of a positive anti-nuclear antibody result. The patient was also noted to have an underlying normal varient on their baseline EKG, which was not new and not significant, according to the censure document. Although Dr. Grobler’s encounter with the patient took place before the official publication of the college’s standards on the use of Ivermectin, he was aware of the skepticism regarding its use for COVID prevention and treatment. “He prescribed it anyway, indicating he was trying to meet patient demand and thought it would not cause harm and might even have a placebo effect,” wrote the college. “In this scenario, it was Dr. Grobler’s responsibility to provide care in accordance with the expected standard. He did not meet that standard when he prescribed Ivermectin without sufficient evidence of efficacy and to accede to patient pressure.” Read: Where do Canada's provinces and territories stand on COVID-19 fourth doses?

When two wrongs don't make a right: Doctor prescribed Ivermectin for myocarditis—even though tests ruled out the condition

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