Q: I would like to know if it is possible to know the vaccination status of a health professional that we consult (dentist, physiotherapist, chiropractor).
Ginette Labonte
A: Mme Goodness,
Much ink has been spilled this week on the position of professional orders in relation to the vaccination status of their members. In the wake of the compulsory vaccination of health workers imposed and then rejected by the Legault government, the College of Physicians announced that it would suspend the license to practice of its unvaccinated members. The professional orders representing respiratory therapists, nurses, nursing assistants and pharmacists have done the same.
However, this is not the case with professionals such as dentists, psychologists or physiotherapists. The general message we have gathered from various professional orders can be summed up simply: in the absence of a government directive, the orders cannot require the vaccination of their members. However, nothing prevents you from asking the person treating you if they have been vaccinated. They have no legal obligation to answer you. But if you don’t feel confident, you are free to look elsewhere.
The Ordre des dentistes du Québec, for example, claims to be in favor of compulsory vaccination and says it encourages its members to be vaccinated. But he says he has no “legal basis” to force a member to disclose his vaccination status. Reassuring: according to a survey conducted by the Order among its members, 95% of dentists are vaccinated.
“The relationship between a dentist and his patient is based on trust. Nothing prevents you from asking your dentist if he is vaccinated, but he has no obligation to answer ”, explains Dr Guy Lafrance, President of the Ordre des dentistes du Québec.
“A client can ask the psychologist about their immunization status. However, the latter is not required to disclose this information. In such a case, if the client so wishes, other modalities can be explored, including telepractice, ”replied the Ordre des psychologues du Québec.
The College of Physiotherapists also states that immunization status is “confidential information” that the client can request, but that the physiotherapist is not required to disclose.
Without being able to impose it, the Order of Chiropractors “recommends” its members outright to disclose their vaccination status to clients who request it.