Is Dr. Gupta the right man for Surgeon General?

re: Is Dr. Gupta the right man for Surgeon General?

Laura S. — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:05:32 GMT

Appointing Sanjay Gupta as Surgeon General is like appointing "Judge Judy" to the Supreme Court. Dr. Gupta has few qualifications to be Surgeon General. He has openly rejected the view that American healthcare is in serious trouble; he has no experience in public health, public health policy or administration.

Dr Gupta is connected closely with the big Pharmaceutical companies and the insurance companies that have put us in the healthcare crisis we are in. He has too many conflicts of interest.

re: Is Dr. Gupta the right man for Surgeon General?

SteveRL — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:03:34 GMT

While Gupta is perhaps okay as a TV personality, he does not have the qualifications to serve in the role of Surgeon General of the US. There are major concerns.

1. As a media figure, Gupta has been disturbingly cozy with Big Pharma. He co-hosts Turner Private Networks' monthly show "Accent Health," which airs in doctors' offices around the country and which serves as a major conduit for targeted ads from the drug companies.

2. He has openly opposed progressive health reform, and cited false information in an effort to discredit Michael Moore's film "Sicko". Ultimately, it was found that Gupta distorted the facts.

3. In 2003, despite mounting evidence to the contrary, he publicly downplayed concerns about the dangers of Vioxx. It was removed from the market a year later by its manufacturer, Merck.

4. Media watchdog groups have also expressed concern about lack of objectivity in his reporting: www.fair.org/index.php

mediamatters.org/.../200707120001

re: Is Dr. Gupta the right man for Surgeon General?

kayo — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:12:48 GMT

will he promote masturbation? THAT is the important question.

re: Is Dr. Gupta the right man for Surgeon General?

Andrea Moore-Emmett — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 19:05:24 GMT

What is the big deal? Gupta is a doctor after all. As a doctor and reporter Gupta is more qualified to be Surgeon General than Ronald Reagon was as an actor to become a governor and then president.

re: Is Dr. Gupta the right man for Surgeon General?

sy — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:49:31 GMT

ACTUALLY, I think he is going to be very good!!!! The problem with Carmona was that he did not know how to use the media, did not have a firm basis in overall medicine (he was a trauma surgeon, period), and could not handle the knives in the back, and he was not current in foreign affairs, having practiced and financially benefited from practicing in the US. Gupta is worldly, knows about third world health, is media-friendly, and is verbally skillful. For the surgeon general, I think the political skills coupled with a good broad health perspective are more important than "being a good doctor."