Top Indian-American physicians have descended on Washington to lobby top Senators for the confirmation of Dr Vivek Murthy, President Barack Obama’s nominee for the key post of US Surgeon General.
A strong supporter of “Obamacare”, the 36-year-old Murthy, the Boston-based co-founder and president of “Doctors for America”, is set to appear before a Senate panel on Tuesday as part of the confirmation proceedings.
Given his passionate backing of the president’s signature healthcare reform initiative, which has been stoutly opposed by the Republicans, Murthy could face some sharp questioning during the hearing.
If confirmed, Murthy, who earned his MD and MBA degrees from Yale, would be the first-ever Indian-American Surgeon General of US.
He would also be the youngest-ever to hold the office established in 1871 something that has not gone down well with some American critics, who have warned the White House against nominating a “relatively inexperienced and untested physician” for the high post.
As Surgeon General, Murthy will be the leading voice on matters of public health in the US and the operational head of the 6,500-strong US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, one of the seven uniformed services including army, navy, air force and marines.
In a bid to ensure his smooth confirmation, leaders of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), a 100,000-strong body wielding tremendous clout, met with Senators Tim Scott, Mike Enzi, lamar Alexander, Mark Kirk, Orrin Hatch, Pat Roberts and Rand Paul on Tuesday.
“AAPI is proud to support the nomination of Dr. Vivek Murthy as the US Surgeon General,” AAPI president Jayesh B. Shah said, noting it “cements the reputation physicians of Indian origin have across America”.
Obama had named Murthy last November as his pick for the key post. In the run-up to Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, Murthy had co-founded an organization called “Doctors for Obama” that brought together some 10,000 physicians and medical students in his support.
With the passage of “Obamacare” in 2009, the group relaunched itself as “Doctors for America”, an advocacy group for the Affordable Care Act. The group now has more than 16,000 doctors and medical students spearheading the cause across the US.
Critics of Murthy’s nomination include Richard Carmona, who served as Surgeon General in the George W. Bush administration.
In a letter to Obama, Carmona came out against the nomination of such a “relatively inexperienced and untested physician”, according to the “Politico” journal.
Kenneth Moritsugu, a deputy surgeon general in the Clinton administration and an acting surgeon general in the George W. Bush administration, was also quoted as saying that “there is concern regarding an individual’s background and experience”.