OPINION: A caring Eastern North Carolina doctor’s orders: Expand Medicaid
Arumugham (pronounced ahh ROO-moo-gum) could make a fine living in a big city, and he's had offers. But there's a friendliness about
"I do like
But beneath the doctor's affection and dedication, anger smolders. He's angry that lawmakers in
I became aware of Arumugham when he sent The
Arumugham, 41, who is from the south
"I'm not talking about giving (the uninsured) money. I'm saying, 'If you get sick, I will care for you,' " he says, and then he asks, dumbfounded, "What is wrong with that?"
A report from the
Arumugham prepared for my visit by calling in some of his patients who are dangling in the void where
There was Shelton, 48, a truck driver struggling with congestive heart failure. It's a family condition. His sister and brother died from it the same day. He can't walk for more than 15 minutes without having to stop. He needs a defibrillator that will cost more that
Arumugham says Shelton's advanced problems could have been avoided if he had had earlier access to a doctor and proper treatment. Now he's waiting to qualify for
In another room is Sandra, 53, the manager of a local bingo hall where she makes
Charles, 64, once worked repairing tractors but quit because of a bad back. He had a heart attack in 2007, and bypass surgery. Then he suffered a stroke in 2011. He needs to see a specialist for a catheterization, but he can't afford the cost of more than
Across
One doctor's empathy and charity are not enough. Patients' conditions often call for care he can't provide and surgery, medicines and medical devices no working person can afford. Yet he continues to open his door to people whom state leaders have shut out. Those he can't cure, he consoles and campaigns for the state to give them the access to the health care they need.
"I want to make a difference; that's all that matters," he says. "When I die, I want one thousand people to say, 'He helped me.' "
No doubt the tireless, idealistic doctor will reach that number and more. But what of the uninsured who die needlessly after years of pain and worry that they could have been spared? They may say in their last hours of those in power in
Their numbers, too, will be more than a thousand.
Barnett: 919-829-4512, [email protected]
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