US Senate confirms Indian-American Vivek Murthy as President Biden’s surgeon general

 Dr. Vivek Murthy will serve as a 21st Surgeon General of the United States.

The United States Senate on March 22, 2021, voted to confirm the Indian- American Dr. Vivek Murthy to be US President Joe Biden’s surgeon general.

With this, US Senate handed the administration one of its top public health officials amid the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

The US Senate voted 57-43 and confirmed the Indian-American as Joe Biden’s surgeon general. Republican Senators Susan Collins (Maine), Bill Cassidy (La.), Roger Marshall (Kan.), Rob Portman (Ohio), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Dan Sullivan (Alaska), and Mitt Romney (Utah) had joined Democrats during the vote to support Vivek Murthy’s nomination.

Dr. Vivek Murthy had earlier served as the surgeon general under the administration of Barack Obama but was fired in 2017 by former US President Donald Trump.

In a tweet, Dr. Vivek Murthy mentioned that he is deeply grateful to be confirmed by the US Senate to serve once again as the Surgeon General.

He added that as a nation, the US has endured great hardship over the past year and that he looks forward to working with the administration to help the US heal and as well as create a better future for the children.

About Dr. Vivek Murthy:

• He is an American Physician as well as a Vice Admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

• Murthy in 2003, earned an MD (Doctor of Medicine) from the Yale School of Medicine.

• Vivek Murthy will serve as a 21st Surgeon General of the US. Previously, from 2014 to 2017, he served as the 19th surgeon general.

• Vivek Murthy is the first surgeon general who is of Indian descent who also co-chaired President-elect Biden’s COVID-19 Advisory Board from the month November 2020 to January 2021.

• In December 2020, Joe Biden had announced that Vivek Murthy will be his nominee for the surgeon general.

Who is the Surgeon General of the US?

The Surgeon General of the US is an operational head of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps which also makes them the leading spokesperson on issues of public health in the US government.

The Surgeon general is usually nominated by the President of the US and is then confirmed by the US Senate.