After US Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) publicly announced his opposition to Dr. Sanjay Gupta for consideration as Surgeon General, I have seen a small flurry of emails and buzz about the position of Surgeon General.
Over the past 25-30 years, the office of Surgeon General has been largely unnoticed, although a notable exception is the work of C. Everett Koop to combat false advertising about smoking and promote smoking cessation programs. The role of surgeon general is largely seen as ceremonial, but in reality, the office is extremely important for advocacy, prevention education, and the use of scientific research to inform policy on healthcare issues.
The official Surgeon General's website says the following about the duties of the office:
The duties of the Surgeon General are to:
Source - http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/about/duties/index.html
According to TheHill.com writer Molly Hill, Rep. Conyers distributed a letter regarding opposition to Gupta's selection. Conyers argued: "It is not in the best interests of the nation to have someone like this who lacks the requisite experience needed to oversee the federal agency that provides crucial healthcare assistance to some of the poorest and most underserved communities in America."
The argument doesn't hold water. There is no question that Gupta has effectively guided healthcare policy discussions on CNN. His leadership skills are not in question, nor is his ability to effectively use research-based information to clarify facts and advocate to the public.
Where some of the opponents are really concerned is in Gupta's attempted refutation of Michael Moore's movie, "Sicko".
As Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman said, <blockquote>I don’t have a problem with Gupta’s qualifications. But I do remember his mugging of Michael Moore over Sicko. You don’t have to like Moore or his film; but Gupta specifically claimed that Moore 'fudged his facts', when the truth was that on every one of the allegedly fudged facts, Moore was actually right and CNN was wrong.</blockquote>
According to an article in USA Today, Moore told CNN, "I'm about to become your worst nightmare." (http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-07-16-sicko-CNN_N.htm) Moore took it personally. And while I appreciate Moore's courageous effort to educate the public about our broken healthcare" I'm also concerned about the style and tone of Moore. I think we need to face facts: Michael Moore has alienated as many people as he's inspired. And while there are many people like me who have gradually warmed and converted to the concept of single-payer plans, I also recognize that there is tremendous political, social, and corporate opposition to any kind of government-funded healthcare.
Michael Moore did a very good job of factchecking the factchecker. I hope he'll continue to do this if Gupta becomes our surgeon general! But we all need to realize that there is a substantial chunk of the American public who have been hoodwinked by the right-wing media, the drug and insurance companies, and even their own family physician. We also need to realize that statistics lie, and there is perhaps no better example of confusion over statistics than the Gupta-Moore flap.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR2U_SAWHdQ
There is something very symbolic about the appointment of Gupta. Because while Gupta has befriended the big pharma, insurance companies, and the medical business community, he has also had the courage to commit acts of journalism - to ask questions, get the data right, and present it to the public effectively. Even more importantly, Gupta has been willing to admit when he's wrong, and when the data and facts disprove the conventional wisdom in the medical community.
That's what the Surgeon General does.
The S.G.'s work on prevention is also an important component of the office. In this area, Gupta is a very effective communicator. He's learned how to identify experts in the medical community and give them a platform to speak. Where Gupta has room to grow is in his ability to speak with the public and engage "Joe Sixpack" as part of the national debate.
There are probably any number of highly qualified candidates for the job. But Sanjay Gupta is the most visible representative and is definitely a "highly recognizable symbol" of the nation's commitment to "get it right" on healthcare.
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