Pennsylvania doctors to Gov. Wolf: Don't thank us, protect us

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- While New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts have provided medical liability immunity for their doctors treating COVID-19 patients, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has remained silent on the issue.

Pennsylvania's largest association representing physicians is asking why in an editorial published Wednesday in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"Gov. Wolf continues to thank physicians, nurses, and other health care providers. But his words of thanks ring hollow without real action," Lawrence John, MD, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED), wrote in the Post-Gazette.

Like many governors around the U.S., Wolf has publicly thanked his state's physicians and nurses. More than 2,600 health care professionals in the commonwealth have been infected with COVID-19 through April 30.

However, as John pointed out in the Post-Gazette, the governor has not responded publicly to multiple letters from PAMED that have asked him to provide temporary medical liability immunity to health care workers through an executive order.

"Despite that risk, health workers continue to show up to work every day to care for patients who are suffering from a disease with no effective treatment and no accepted standard of care," John wrote in the Post-Gazette. "At the very least, physicians in Pennsylvania deserve to hear directly from Mr. Wolf as to why he is not providing them with the protection that their colleagues in other states already have in place."

Read full editorial: https://bit.ly/3dmNzs9 

About the Pennsylvania Medical Society
PAMED is a physician-led, member-driven organization representing all physicians and medical students throughout the state. We advocate for physicians and their patients, educate physicians through continuing medical education, and provide expert resources and guidance to help physicians and their organizations navigate challenges in today's ever-evolving health care system.  For more information, visit www.pamedsoc.org.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Medical Society