Hong Kong Detains Doctors and Patients Over Medical Exemption Certificates

Patients No Way to Seek Help for COVID-19 Jab Medical Exemption Cert

Ah-shu (pseudonym), who had applied for "jab-free certs" from the arrested doctor, was worried that he would be forced to stop working and would even be held accountable by the authorities. Sung Pi-Lung /The Epoch Times

Since the Hong Kong government is trying to increase the COVID-19 vaccination rate, although people are allowed to apply for a “COVID-19 vaccination medical exemption certificate,” commonly known as a “jab-free cert,” from doctors because of their own illness, the authorities tightened the threshold at the beginning of this year, forcing many people who need the certs searching for doctors to issue them.

More than 20,000 jab-free certs, which were allegedly issued by seven doctors without consultation, will expire on Oct 12 (however the result of a judicial review may negate this). The Hong Kong Police Force arrested four female civil servants on Oct. 7. Therefore, civil servants holding this batch of jab-free certs are worried that they would be held accountable, and they questioned whether the government is now making a judgment before trial.

Headache Looking for New Cert

Civil servant Ah-shu (pseudonym) suffers from chronic respiratory disease. He has been working with a jab-free cert since August last year. Later, he had been confirmed with COVID-19 during the fifth wave of the pandemic in March this year. He applied for the renewal of the jab-free cert in early Aug. as his recovery record expired in early Sept. His doctor is one of those who were accused of suspected scamming on issuing jab-free certs.