Week of 2/22: Medicine is Political
Friends,
The world feels upside down. Powerful people turn neighbor against neighbor to steal wealth from our communities and leave us fighting for scraps. Our politicians remain silent to get their piece of the pie. Life is getting harder and more expensive, and public trust is eroding. If you work in healthcare, you’ve seen the result. People are getting sicker. Addiction and suicide are on the rise. Preventable illness is becoming a death sentence.
I write today as a call to action for our healthcare community. We cannot allow this to happen any longer. Enough is enough.
The modern Hippocratic Oath reminds us of our commitment to the whole patient, and calls on us to address social and economic needs:
“I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.”
Our healthcare system is disintegrating. RFK Jr. slashed our research funding, defunded our hospitals, and disbanded vital programs. We’ve had seven new measles outbreaks this year, and over 2,000 cases last year. Delaware just reported its first case in over a decade. The CDC stands gutted. Smoking prevention, population health, reproductive health, health equity, HIV prevention, climate health, strategic preparedness – all cut. Planned Parenthood was devastated from a ban on Medicaid payments. Masked ICE agents even murdered one of our own – ICU nurse Alex Pretti.
We know what’s coming, but we don’t have to wait.
We can act now: We have power that politicians only wish they had. We have the trust of the public. According to Gallup, nurses and doctors represent the first and fifth most trusted professions. Guess who is trusted least?
We should act now: We put people first. Our communities look to us not only to safeguard their health, but also for guidance and leadership.
We must act now. To demand accountability. To restore justice and public trust. To help heal our communities.
This is why I’m running. For me, this campaign is about fulfilling our oath.
We’re not alone. Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, is giving Lindsey Graham a run for his money in South Carolina. Dr. Dave Oxman, an ICU physician, is running for Congress in Philadelphia. Many of us are organizing, volunteering, and donating to pave the way for more candidates to come.
The healthcare community is a sleeping giant, and we are waking up. Establishment politicians should also wake up, or they will soon find themselves out of a job.
Delaware’s healthcare professionals must be a powerful voice in the fight for healthy communities. To my colleagues – let’s remember our oath and get to work. Medicine is now political.
Until next time,
Dr. Rob Bahnsen
Candidate for State Representative, District 12