VoyForums

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, [2], 3, 4 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 20:46:12 07/24/02 Wed
Author: moonotter
Subject: Surgeon General Nominee Faces Tough Questions at Confirmation Hearing

Surgeon General Nominee Faces Tough Questions at Confirmation Hearing




By Julie Rovner
WASHINGTON, DC (Reuters Health) Jul 09 - Months after his nomination was announced to become the next Surgeon General of the United States, Arizona trauma surgeon and deputy sheriff Dr. Richard Carmona finally got his hearing before the US Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Tuesday, where he faced pointed questions about allegations made Monday in an article in the Los Angeles Times.

Dr. Carmona said he was "quite disappointed" in the lengthy article, which accused him of management difficulties, of having trouble passing his surgical board examinations, and of having a hard time getting along with colleagues. "Sometimes decisions have to be made that people disagree with," he said of those who leveled the charges.

But Senators were not as quick to brush off the allegations. "You have a reputation as a swashbuckler," said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., suggesting that one incident cited in the article, in which Dr. Carmona reported a nurse to state authorities for unprofessional conduct after he reportedly agreed not to do so, "smacks of a double standard."

Dr. Carmona denied he ever agreed not to report the nurse, because the report "was required by state law." The nurse in question, he added, "had problems...she was undependable, could not provide the services she was supposed to."

When he was not responding to allegations, Dr. Carmona demonstrated for the committee a fluent understanding of a wide array of health issues, ranging from asthma to bioterrorism to childhood obesity, to HIV/AIDS. He told one senator he might support the idea of having the government take over the manufacturing and distribution of vaccines. "The government has a role in ensuring immunizations are available," he said. "I think it's something we should continue to look at."

Dr. Carmona also said that his overarching theme is prevention. Whether talking about AIDS, bioterrorism, or asthma, he said, "all of those things you mention, including weapons of mass destruction, are amenable to prevention strategies."

By the end of the hearing, at least one key senator, committee chairman Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., appeared to have been won over. "Anyone who's listened to your responses on this wide range of issues has to be very, very impressed," Kennedy said.

But Dr. Carmona's approval could be delayed by one of his strongest backers. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who introduced Dr. Carmona to the committee, is blocking all Senate nominations as part of an unrelated dispute with the Bush administration over appointees to the Federal Election Commission.

McCain told reporters it "would be inappropriate" to make an exception even for Dr. Carmona, whom he called "extraordinarily, perhaps uniquely qualified to address the needs of our nation as Surgeon General."




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Reuters Health Information 2002. © 2002 Reuters Ltd.
Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-6
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.