Family doctor receives hateful online messages; speaks about aggression toward medics
Family doctor Māris Belte posted a screenshot on Facebook showing abusive messages from a user. He says aggression toward doctors increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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At the beginning of this week, family doctor Māris Belte shared a screenshot on his Facebook profile of messages he received from a user. The messages contained hateful and demeaning comments, both personal and directed at his profession.
In an interview with Apollo.lv, Belte said that aggression toward doctors became more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Influenced by political campaigns, people redirected their anger about pandemic restrictions and vaccines at medical professionals.
During the pandemic, Belte explained why vaccination is necessary and what vaccines contain. "I was seen as a kind of 'Big Pharma' stooge, a representative of the ruling clique who had sold out. Even now it sometimes resurfaces," the doctor said.
