Vivek Murthy, an Indian-American physician, has been confirmed by the Senate as President Joe Biden’s surgeon general, a position in which his top priority will be responding to the coronavirus pandemic that has ravaged the country. Dr. Vivek Murthy, 43, will be America’s President’s Surgeon General for the second time. President Barack Obama appointed him to the Prevention, Health Promotion, Integrative and Public Health Advisory Group in 2011.
“I am deeply grateful for the Senate’s confirmation to serve as your Surgeon General once more. We’ve been through a lot as a country in the last year, and I’m looking forward to working with you to help our country heal and create a better future for our children,” Vivek Murthy said on Tuesday, shortly after his nomination was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 57-43. Dr. Vivek Murthy was nominated by Obama to be the surgeon general in 2013. At the age of 37, he was the youngest person to ever hold the position. During the Trump administration, however, he was forced to resign from his position.
Dr. Vivek Murthy, as US Surgeon General, will advise President Joe Biden on the coronavirus pandemic, and will be the federal government’s leading public health voice. Dr. Vivek Murthy received backing from seven senators from the Republican Party. He was a campaign and transition advisor for Joe Biden. Senator Joe Manchin stated that Dr. Vivek Murthy worked to cultivate a culture of public health promotion based on diet, physical activity, and mental well-being during his past tenure as Surgeon General to help avoid conditions such as obesity and diabetes.
Dr. Vivek Murthy also issued a report detailing proposals to curtail opioid prescribing and develop treatment options for those with substance use disorders, according to him. He is well-versed in the topics confronting the country, including the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, the opioid epidemic, and rural healthcare protection. Several members of Dr. Vivek Murthy’s extended family have died as a result of Covid-19. During his confirmation hearing in February, he stated that Covid-19 has killed seven members of his family in India and the United States. “As Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy has reaffirmed his commitment to remain nonpartisan, and he has reaffirmed his belief that the vast majority of gun owners in the United States are responsible and follow the law. For these reasons, I believe Dr. Vivek Murthy is qualified for the position of Surgeon General, and I look forward to working with him to address the many issues that face our country,” Manchin said.
