The Price of Courage: How Medical Boards Punished Me for Saving Lives

The Price of Courage: How Medical Boards Punished Me for Saving Lives

In a just and free society, doctors should be able to treat their patients based on science, not politics. But in today’s America, that is no longer the case.

When COVID-19 swept across the nation, I stood on the frontlines, caring for the sick, comforting the dying, and doing everything in my power to save lives. I refused to let government mandates, hospital bureaucracy, and Big Pharma interests dictate my medical decisions. Instead, I put my patients first.

For that, I have been persecuted, blacklisted, and financially ruined.

The Washington Medical Commission (WMC) and other medical boards have tried to destroy my career—not because I did anything wrong, but because I dared to challenge the narrative.

A Doctor’s Duty: To Heal, Not To Obey

For more than a decade, I have been a hospital medicine physician, caring for patients from emergency room admissions to critical care cases. I completed my internal medicine residency at Morristown Memorial Hospital in New Jersey in 2011, then spent five years serving underserved communities in South Carolina before moving to Chicago in 2016 to work at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, part of Northwestern Medical Group.

I founded Text2MD in 2018, a telemedicine platform providing affordable, high-quality medical care to low-income communities in the northern suburbs of Chicago. These were people the system had forgotten, and I made it my mission to help them.

Then, the pandemic changed everything.

COVID-19: A Manufactured Crisis That Left Patients to Die

When COVID-19 hit, I was working on the frontlines, treating patients at a major health system in the Chicago area. The first wave of patients were predominantly low-income, Hispanic patients—hardworking people abandoned by the healthcare system.

At first, we were allowed to use hydroxychloroquine under the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Then, the narrative changed. The hospital banned hydroxychloroquine and forced remdesivir on patients, despite its horrific side effects and skyrocketing mortality rates.

I watched in horror as these protocols led to prolonged suffering and unnecessary deaths. Patients were dying alone, unable to say goodbye to their loved ones.

I refused to stand by and watch people suffer.

I saw early outpatient treatment as the solution. I began using ivermectin and other safe, affordable treatments—and patients got better. I was witnessing firsthand what Big Pharma and government bureaucrats didn’t want the world to see:

COVID-19 didn’t have to be a death sentence. Early treatment worked.

But instead of celebrating this breakthrough, the medical establishment waged war against me.

The Washington Medical Commission (WMC) Led a Witch Hunt Against Me

The WMC accused me of “failing to establish proper physician-patient relationships” and prescribing ivermectin off-label based only on an “online questionnaire”.

These allegations were based on false and based on incomplete investigations.

The truth? My telemedicine vendor, Medici, illegally terminated my services, hijacked patient records, and refused to comply with subpoenas. These HIPAA violations left me unable to access my own patient files. Instead of holding Medici accountable for HIPAA violations and reporting the violation to HHS which I did, the WMC instead targeted me.

They blacklisted me from practicing medicine and coerced me into signing a settlement under duress.

My Punishment for Helping Patients

I was not stripped of my license, but the punishment they imposed was designed to destroy my ability to practice medicine:

✔ A forced personal appearance
✔ A $6,000 fine
✔ Mandated “re-education” through CME courses on telemedicine
✔ A ban on off-label prescribing of ivermectin

This ruling triggered reciprocal disciplinary actions across multiple states, effectively shutting down my telemedicine practice nationwide.

I lost my ability to renew my medical licenses, and I was stripped of my right to practice medicine.

Financial Ruin & The Fight for Survival

Because I refused to bow to medical tyranny, I have been financially and emotionally devastated.

For the first time in my life, I had to ask my elderly parents for financial help just to survive. I have lost everything—my practice, my income, and my ability to care for my patients.

But I refuse to give up.

A Fresh Start in Florida—The Last Bastion of Medical Freedom

Given my circumstances, I am contemplating moving to Florida while I work to rebuild my career.

Florida remains one of the few states still standing against medical tyranny, and I hope to restore my ability to practice medicine there.

Currently, I am living in New Jersey, but I know that my fight is far from over.

Fighting Back: My Legal Battle Against Medical Tyranny

I refuse to let corrupt medical boards silence me for trying to save lives.

That’s why I am contemplating pursuing legal action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 to challenge the due process and civil rights violations in my case.

My legal battle aims to:
✔ Reverse the unjust disciplinary actions taken against me
✔ Restore my ability to practice medicine without excessive restrictions
✔ Hold the WMC accountable for failing to investigate Medici’s role in the case

How You Can Help – Exposing the Truth

This isn’t just about one doctor losing his license—this is about the future of medical freedom in America.

If doctors can be silenced for offering alternative treatments, if Big Pharma and government mandates control every aspect of medicine, then we are all at risk.

I need media exposure to bring this story to light. If you have connections in journalism, legal advocacy, or political offices, I ask for your help in exposing this injustice.

The real tragedy isn’t just what happened to me—it’s what will happen to every patient in America when doctors are too afraid to speak up, too afraid to treat, and too afraid to challenge the system.

I am still here, still fighting. For my patients. For my colleagues. For medical freedom.

Thank you for reading.

Dr. Miguel Antonatos