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> Any doctor who can be shown to have given addictive opioids to people that aren't terminally ill should be investigated. No, they should have their license r

> Any doctor who can be shown to have given addictive opioids to people that aren't terminally ill should be investigated. No, they should have their license revoked. Those people are not doctors, they are opportunistic capitalists in the medical sector that should have no right to practise medicine. In fact, this scheme could only work if doctors complied. I would say what they did was much worse than what the billionaire did. They're bad actors.

alkonaut 9y ago
This permeates the whole system of education. Apparently, for a long time (And I sure hope this changed), doctors were taught opioids aren't addictive if the patient is in pain. See e.g http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/25/health/us-surgeon-general-letter-doctors-opioid-use/index.html http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/25/health/us-surgeon-general-... This makes you wonder how many professors at medical schools also go on nice holidays paid for by pharma companies or lobbyists.
alphonsegaston 9y ago
>Those people are not doctors, they are opportunistic capitalists in the medical sector that should have no right to practise medicine. You can’t change these incentives without moving the US to a nationalized health care system, including public financing of education for doctors and much harsher regulation of the pharma industry. As long as you have doctors going into massive amounts of debt to finance their education and a drug industry with obscene wealth and power, you’re always going to arrive at this outcome. Capitalism is fundamentally opportunistic, which is why it has no business in healthcare.
aesclepius 9y ago
Speaking as an American medical resident currently in training, please realize that opioids are the only pain medication aside from nerve modulators like gabapentin or pregabalin that have any serious effect after NSAIDs have been exhausted. We routinely use it appropriately for patients with gallbladder, kidney and very run-of-the-mill problems.

alkonaut 9y ago

This permeates the whole system of education. Apparently, for a long time (And I sure hope this changed), doctors were taught opioids aren't addictive if the patient is in pain. See e.g http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/25/health/us-surgeon-general-letter-doctors-opioid-use/index.html http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/25/health/us-surgeon-general-... This makes you wonder how many professors at medical schools also go on nice holidays paid for by pharma companies or lobbyists.

alphonsegaston 9y ago

>Those people are not doctors, they are opportunistic capitalists in the medical sector that should have no right to practise medicine. You can’t change these incentives without moving the US to a nationalized health care system, including public financing of education for doctors and much harsher regulation of the pharma industry. As long as you have doctors going into massive amounts of debt to finance their education and a drug industry with obscene wealth and power, you’re always going to arrive at this outcome. Capitalism is fundamentally opportunistic, which is why it has no business in healthcare.

aesclepius 9y ago

Speaking as an American medical resident currently in training, please realize that opioids are the only pain medication aside from nerve modulators like gabapentin or pregabalin that have any serious effect after NSAIDs have been exhausted. We routinely use it appropriately for patients with gallbladder, kidney and very run-of-the-mill problems.