On September 24, the Constitutional Court is expected to decide whether mandatory vaccination of preschool children in Montenegro is in accordance with the Constitution. The Medical Chamber warns that vaccination is a matter of protecting the health of society as a whole and that medical professionals must have a say.

****Who should protect children’s health: medical professionals and the healthcare system, or parents relying on the information available to them? The Medical Chamber points out that this is precisely where the issue is being misrepresented.

“Who actually protects the child? The healthcare system does—we protect the child, not parents who are unaware of the consequences of their actions. Let us try to put things in their proper perspective,” says Žanka Cerović, President of the Medical Chamber.

To put things in their proper perspective, we need to look back and understand why certain diseases are now almost forgotten, Cerović emphasizes.

She recalls that vaccines saved lives and that there was no alternative. Today, she warns, we are putting the health of future generations at risk.

“Fortunately, today’s generations do not know what these diseases mean. They have neither seen nor experienced them, which is why they feel so free to make highly uninformed comments. I have the utmost respect for citizens, but I cannot accept someone placing their own judgment above that of a person who is certified as having expertise in the subject,” says Cerović.

She further explains why vaccination is important for protecting the entire community.

“We have collective immunity only thanks to previous generations and the immunity of children who have been vaccinated, and that is what is currently protecting us. If vaccination is not carried out as it should be, we will see serious diseases such as measles, from which our children will die,” Cerović said.

While awaiting the Constitutional Court’s decision, Cerović recalls a case before the European Court of Human Rights, which considered the same issue in the Czech Republic.

“The Court unequivocally found that the mandatory vaccination of children does, de facto, constitute an interference with the right to private life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. However, it also found that such interference may, in accordance with the same article of the Convention, be justified, legitimate and necessary when it is intended to protect public health and the rights of others. The European Court placed particular emphasis on the fact that the protection of public health is a legitimate aim of the state,” Cerović said.

Mandatory vaccination is not a punitive measure, but rather a means of protecting children and society as a whole, Cerović emphasizes. During the public hearing before the Constitutional Court, representatives of the non-governmental sector also claimed that parents do not receive sufficient information about vaccines and that some individuals have complaints concerning them. However, the Medical Chamber has received no official complaints, Cerović points out.

“Pediatricians themselves say that when a parent comes in and says they do not want to vaccinate their child, there is nothing the pediatrician can do to persuade them otherwise,” says Cerović.

She announced that parents would soon receive a written notice reminding them to contact the Chamber if they observe any irregularities in the work of a pediatrician. At the same time, the Chamber emphasizes that everyone—the state, the healthcare system and medical professionals—must be involved in protecting children.

“I do not like citizens being held responsible for something like this. Let us all fight together, rise above dogma, take responsibility and place science and professional expertise above dogma. Let us try,” Cerović concludes.