A Shortage of Doctors?

American Thinker ^ | 05/22/2023 | Deane Waldman, M.D.

[SeekAndFind]

A recent CNN headline — "We don't have enough doctors" — is quite accurate.  The explanation given for the M.D. shortage is completely wrong. 

CNN notes the "health-care workforce shortage is 'more acute' in Black and brown communities."  The black community represents 13 percent of the U.S. population, but only 5.7 percent of American physicians are black.  The implication is clear: only black doctors should or can treat black patients or, at a minimum, will treat them properly.

This is racist dogma.  The vast majority of American doctors (and nurses) are blind to skin color, religion, ethnicity, and even criminal behavior.  Real doctors treat each patient as a unique, valuable individual without regard to demographics.  When Dr. Hugh Mighty, senior vice president at historically black Howard University, says, "As the problem of Black physician shortages rise ... many communities of need will continue to be underserved," he insults every white, brown, Asian, Native American, and black physician in this country.  

A National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities report confirms racial inequalities for health outcomes.  Minority populations are sicker, die earlier, and pose a huge economic burden compared to the white majority population. 

When CNN or some government entity claims that such inequalities are due to providers' racist behaviors and shortages of black doctors, not only are they wrong; they divert attention from the real reason.  Poor health is largely due to socio-economic factors such as poverty, poor education, limited availability of healthy foods, and inadequate access to care providers of any color.

CNN is completely off-base on why there is a severe and worsening doctor shortage.  The real reason is morale. 

[mewzilla]

From 2020. Read it and weep, gang.

We’re Devastatingly Short on Doctors. Why Doesn’t the US Just Make More? Believe it or not, that's up to Congress.

[Tupelo]

” were they trained overseas, or did these doctors obtain their degrees and internships here in the USA?”

With the exception of my Scottish MD, PHD, who was trained in the Great Britain, I really don’t know. However since they all work & teach at the Banner University of Arizona Medical school, I really did not question where they were trained.