Ahead of Tuesday's election, 635 physicians signed an open letter to President-elect Donald Trump calling him a "health threat." Now with the results of the election in, three of the physicians leading the charge — Aaron Stupple, MD, Andrew Goldstein, MD, and Stephen Martin, MD, — wrote again in an op-ed for STAT that they respect the nation's new leader and call on him to "do no harm."
The initial letter accused Mr. Trump of having "no regard for facts, for science or for a thoughtful and evidence-based approach to complex problems." The physicians named his mass deportation policies and remarks about Latinos and Muslims among their reasons why Mr. Trump poses a threat to human health and wellbeing. However, now that Mr. Trump has been elected, the physicians are changing their tone and approach.
"We respect that your campaign ran on changing a system that you and your supporters said was corrupt and that neglected millions. In many ways we agree," Drs. Stupple, Goldstein and Martin wrote for STAT. They called on Mr. Trump to lead change in primary care, public health, insurance, drug prices, veteran health services and quality improvement in healthcare.
"Healthcare in this country is in desperate need of improvement. We applaud you for shining a light on the millions for whom it has failed. In working for them, and for all Americans, we urge you to be thoughtful," the physicians wrote. They concluded, "We all need compassionate and informed leadership that listens to patient needs and to those who have committed their lives to this calling."
Read the full letter here.
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