Yachats physician laments administration’s attacks on science, medicine

To the editor:

I am a physician living in Yachats employed by Samaritan Health Services, currently chief of staff at Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital in Newport. My comments are strictly my own, and I do not represent my employer.

Having practiced in western Oregon for 37 years I am astonished at the current administration’s assault on science, health care, and evidence-based medicine. These include cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, withdrawal from the World Health Organization, dismantling of the Centers for Disease Control, attacks on compassionate care for LGBT+, whitewashing of history to deny diversity, equity, and inclusion (Since when are these bad words?), attacks on women’s health care and autonomy, resulting in high risk OB/GYN “deserts”, puzzling and laughable approach to autism, backward vaccine policies guaranteed to bring back diseases from the history books, unprecedented attacks on medical journals and free speech, and slashing of research grants, thereby abdicating our place as world leaders in medical science

I had the honor of serving as an HIV specialist for many years, as we went from the darkest days to spectacular treatment success. Under Dr. Fauci’s leadership suddenly our patients stopped dying. And now historical revisionists pillory him as some kind of traitor?

Lastly, in a recent issue of the prestigious and evidence-based New England Journal of Medicine there is an unprecedented (again that word) full page ad recruiting medical researchers to Canada. We’ll get what we ask for.

It’s time to speak up, otherwise our kids and their kids, will someday ask us “Why didn’t you do something?”

— Tom Rafalski, M.D./Yachats