Indian-American Vivek Murthy (36), U.S. President Barack Obama’s nominee for the role of Surgeon General, recounted personal and professional links with India as he fielded some tough questions at a Senate confirmation hearing this week.
With his parents and sister in attendance at the hearing on Capitol Hill, Dr. Murthy said to the Senators that his grandfather was “a poor farmer who fought for democracy and freedom in India,” who never could have dreamed that his grandson would be considered for this prestigious role in the U.S. government.
Outlining his numerous professional initiatives in public health he further emphasised his ties with India in the context of his efforts to build a rural community health partnership in India called Swasthya, which aimed to train young women to be healthcare educators and leaders.
Dr. Murthy also explained to the Senate his role as a co-founder and President of Doctors for America, a national medical organisation, and as co-founder and Chairman of TrialNetworks, a technology firm, building software for clinical trials.
However Republicans such as Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, the ranking Republican on the Senate Health, Education, Labour and Pensions Committee questioned Dr. Murthy for his alleged advocacy for Mr. Obama’s landmark health-care law of 2010.
He said, “Much of your work has been devoted to electing the current president and advocating the new health-care law, all of which is your right to do as an American… But as a public official, if that becomes your principal purpose of the bully pulpit, that gets to be a problem.”
However Dr. Murthy responded that Murthy said that he has never viewed the Affordable Care Act as a perfect solution and that he promoted the plan as a step in the right direction, adding that the role he was being considered for was “not to be a legislator or a judge. The role is to be a public health educator.”
Senator Alexander was also apparently critical of Dr. Murthy's views on the gun control, a sensitive subject in this country, and in this context he referenced Dr. Murthy’s mention of this subject on his Twitter account, where he said, “Tired of politicians playing politics w/ guns, putting lives at risk b/c they’re scared of NRA. Guns are a health care issue. #debatehealth.”
Yet Dr. Murthy defended his position saying, “I do not intend to use my office as Surgeon General as bully puppet on gun control,” adding that that his views on gun control were based on his experience as a doctor and treating people who are victims of gun violence.
