An apparent trial balloon has been floated to fill the post of Surgeon General in the name of Sanjay Gupta. He is a health commentator for CNN who dispenses medical advice with a breezy style appropriately suited to the brief two-minute segments of television. However, the TV Doctor has been criticized by many for his close ties to the pharmaceutical and health care industries and for not disclosing the sources of his speaking fees which command up to $50,000 per appearance. Morevoer, his strong criticisms of reform beg the question whether his cozy relationships with the health care industry would compromise his ability to lead the U.S. Public Health Service and serve as a vocal advocate for change.

For more information on the concerns raised about Dr. Gupta's possible appointment as Surgeon General, check out the links below.

The Trouble With Sanjay Gupta

The New York Times - Paul Krugman

"....appointing Gupta now, although it’s a small thing, is just another example of the lack of accountability that always seems to be the rule when you get things wrong in a socially acceptable way."

Why Sanjay Gupta is the Wrong Man for the Top US Health Job

Counterpunch.com - Vicente Navarro

"Training and experience in neurosurgery do not provide the public health knowledge that the position requires. But, what is far more alarming is that he will most likely be the media spokesperson for the task force on health care reform. And this means that a person hostile to a single-payer system ...will be in control of selling the message of change in U.S. medical care."

Dr. Sanjay Gupta: The Wrong Man For the Job

NPR News Commentary - Douglas Kammerow

"The first concern is that the Office of the Surgeon General heads the U.S. Public Health Service's Commissioned Corps, more than 6,000 uniformed officers working in public health positions throughout the federal government and on assignments around the world. It's not clear what qualifies a neurosurgeon, with no public health background, to lead the corps."

Oppose Sanjay Gupta for Surgeon General

A letter from Dr. Quentin Young, National Coordinator of Physicians for a National Health Program, to PNHP members.

"As a media figure, he has been disturbingly cozy with Big Pharma. He co-hosts Turner Private Networks’ monthly show “Accent Health,” which airs in doctors’ offices around the country and which serves as a major conduit for targeted ads from the drug companies. Another example: In 2003, despite mounting evidence to the contrary, he publicly downplayed concerns about the dangers of Vioxx. It was removed from the market a year later by its manufacturer, Merck."

Conyers: Obama Should Not Nominate Sanjay Gupta

The Huffington Post - Sam Stein

"...some have begun questioning whether the CNN correspondent has the proper qualifications to be Surgeon General. ... Others have questioned whether he is the right conduit for Obama's health care agenda, and whether or not he has ethical conflicts of interest stemming from the corporate sponsors of his show."

CNN's Sanjay Gupta, Laura Bush, and the Marketing of Merck's Gardasil"

Counterpunch.com - Pam Martens

"CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, was raising eyebrows five months before he bungled his fact-checking segment on Michael Moore's health care documentary, "Sicko," leaving Moore and many of CNN's viewers questioning Gupta's journalistic integrity. Writing on his CNN blog on February 28, 2007, Dr. Gupta endorsed Merck's controversial and scientifically challenged vaccine for girls and young women, Gardasil, without shedding any light on the incestuous relationship he has with Merck."

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