A bill that prioritizes politics over science, research and training is an attack on the integrity of health professionals
As a physician about to finish my residency after several years of training, I have never been more concerned about the future of medical practice. As a family doctor, I regularly provide comprehensive medical services, including abortion. Republicans want to waste time talking about abortion restrictions when the real problem is restricting patients’ access to healthcare. Not because you don’t have the skills or resources, politics I entered the exam hall.
Our legislators are working to pass new state laws that prevent doctors from providing the best and most comprehensive care for the people of North Carolina.
Our legislators are proposing abortion restrictions that are unfounded in clinical medicine. are putting patient care at risk. They are pressuring health care providers to ignore the best evidence and demanding that we provide substandard care. , does not support this.
Our state legislators are trying to tell trained doctors who have spent years studying medicine and the latest research that doctors cannot use our skills here. We are telling them to ignore the needs and autonomy of their patients. They say other states can practice good medicine, but North Carolina can provide substandard care. It was a place of excellence in medicine for those in need. But if these legislators get their way, North Carolina will be the place to direct doctors to practice bad medicine.
These suggestions are an attack on patients, doctors and, ultimately, the integrity of our profession. Physicians need to be able to provide evidence-based care without worrying about legal implications. Medical students should be able to get the training they need to provide excellent care. North Carolina people definitely deserve the gold standard of care.
Health care restrictions are not only hurting health care, they are keeping qualified residents out of the state. In fact, medical trainees are already starting to consider residencies in other states, not North Carolina. Our country is already facing a shortage of doctors. The last thing you want to do is push doctors out to other states.
GOP members are only trying to have this conversation about abortion, but that’s not the case. They start with reproductive medicine and continue to limit health care.
The word is transmitted to students and residents. Protect the future of healthcare here in North Carolina and keep doctors in the state. We urge lawmakers to work with patients and doctors to ensure that everyone gets the care they need.
We have dedicated our lives to providing the best possible care. Our legislators need us to do our job.
Avanthi Jayaweera, MD, is a family medicine resident and director of the American Medical Students Association, the largest independent medical student organization in the country.