Out With the Old and…You’ve Got to Be Kidding Me by Pat Conrad MD
For the record, I never liked Vivek H. Murthy, MD. He was and remains a collectivist political hack, hiding behind a medical degree to push for larger government. He founded Doctors for Obama (later called Doctors for America), which…hell, that’s self-explanatory. According to the New York Times, Murthy is “a self-described dreamer and grass-roots organizer [with] a deep fondness for mangoes, and his interests include studying ways to increase global happiness.” Gimme some phenergan, quick. Murthy said of Doctors for America, “A few colleagues and I began Doctors for America with a simple belief that physicians should play a leadership role in designing and running our nation’s health care system.” By turning it over to an even larger, more intrusive, governmental system, making him a bully supporter of the ACA.
Fact is, I think the role of the U.S. Surgeon General is a cartload of BS, I don’t like the occupant playing dress-up in a naval officer’s uniform, and like the great majority of the existing federal government, has no appropriate constitutional foundation or authority. The NYT even noted, “In 1995, a certain senator from Delaware, Joseph R. Biden Jr., was quoted as saying: “You could eliminate the entire job and you’d have no impact on the people of America.” Well, a bust clock, etc.
But here is one thing I CAN say for Dr. Murthy: whatever my disagreements with him, he is an actual medical doctor. He has an M.D. He completed an actual residency.
The new U.S. Surgeon General, Sylvia Trent-Adams (pictured on left), has a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing. Our new surgeon general is a nurse-doctor.
Think of that, all you would-be medical students, before you sign the loan agreement.
I did not approve of Dr. Murthy being appointed as the SG either. The position has been politicized and is no longer used effectively to improve the health of the American people. I hope that changes in the future. This leadership position should be the same as the SG positions in the Army, Navy and Air force, where the SG is promoted from within the ranks and heads their team of personnel without major political influence and bias. In this case within the ranks of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service. A service with deep roots protecting, promoting and advancing the health of this nation. Oh and that’s not a Navy uniform it is a USPHS uniform. The USPHS (one of the seven uniform services of this country) was historically a maritime service and still has officers stationed with (usually leading) components of the Coastguard, Vessel Sanitation, DOD, and Quarantine. These officers are stationed in 55 countries around the globe, embedded in almost every security and health agency domestically to safeguard public health, taking on the public health and clinical jobs no one else wants, serving in the most austere locations imaginable, fighting the worst diseases on earth. Belittling their service and sacrifice is shameful and liken to putting down any and all other uniform services of this country whom serve and sacrifice to protect our well being. I do agree that if the SG is going to be a political appointee then they should not get to wear that uniform. One thing about the new acting SG is that she has over 24 years of service to our country both with the USPHS and the Army. She has earned that uniform and her star. Oh and nowhere does it say that a Surgeon General must be a doctor. In my opinion the title itself is misleading because they are almost never Surgeons. An MD has never and will never be the highest or best qualifying factor for a leader is public health. A better education requirement for the SG would be a Doctor of Public Health or a Doctor of Health Sciences. Medical Doctors have run the public health system of this country into the ground pushing prescriptions over preventative medicine and treatment over cures. It’s time a true public health leader takes over that job and it’s time the job stops being politicized.
“Medical Doctors have run the public health system of this country into the ground pushing prescriptions over preventative medicine and treatment over cures. It’s time a true public health leader takes over that job and it’s time the job stops being politicized”
Thanks for making my points ~ Pat
PS – I was a naval officer, and that sure looks like the same uniform to me.
Exactly, Steve O’ Sure makes me proud to know that our “Surgeon General” is a nurse. Words fail me.
I don’t have any problem with the mangoes, though. Ever had a mango mojito? We should all have one (or two, or a dozen) right now.
Mango mojito? There used to be this little half-basement place in Portland, Maine that smelled ile mold and made the best mangoritas in history.
Many were the nights that my wife and I forgot how to get home…
I’ll bet y’all weren’t wasting time on “global happiness”
Ha!
It takes enough time just to try to get some personal happiness.
I’m not saying he looks like a douche…. but he looks like a total douche.
Doctors for America (how cute) started life as Doctors for Obama in 2008. They partnered with the AAFP, naturally. This completes the circle of assbagary
Yeah, I saw that article in the Times, and I couldn’t even read it.
I think from here out, we’re totally hosed.
A nurse-doctor as a land admiral protecting American healthcare. I feel the burn of pride. I’m sure that the water-admirals feel the same pride when they see someone wearing their uniform who gets sick on the shuttle to Riker’s Island.
Did you know I’m a firefighter-astronaut-baseball player? Remember when we used to medicate people who said that kind of stuff?