Sale a la luz "querella" contra Vargas Vidot
La conocida sexóloga y médico reveló que ella y otras ocho personas fueron las destinatarias de un correo electrónico imputando que Vargas Vidot estaba ejerciendo la medicina sin licencia.
"Recibí esa carta. Solamente se la enviaron como a seis periodistas y una sola fue que tiraron al medio", manifestó en su espacio radial por Boricua740AM. Además de Smith, aparecen recibiendo el correo los licenciados Carlos Díaz Olivo, Benny Frankie Cerezo, y David Noriega; los periodistas Julio Rivera Saniel y Luis Penchi; la presentadora Carmen Jovet; y el profesor Ángel Rosa. Otro destinatario no está claramente identificado.
Smith reconoció que "sí existe mucha gente fatula en todas las profesiones" y siempre advierte a su público que tenga cuidado de entregar el cuido de su salud a un profesional licenciado, pero "el doctor Vargas Vidot es un doctor en la medicina" y recordó sus aportaciones en el área de salubridad.
Smith criticó también que "el que lo sacó no investigó y eso está feo. Yo tengo el email de la persona que me lo envió. Se la pasé a Vargas Vidot. No sé si es una persona real", advirtió, pero tenía esta dirección: MaríaHernándezMD1968@hotmail.com.
La doctora instó a la presidencia del Colegio de Médicos Circujanos, Alicia Filiberti, a que verifique esa información.
"Esto fue un golpe bajo y sucio contra una persona", dijo la doctora Smith, y concluyó su exposición dirigiéndose a esa persona anónima: "tú no eres mi colega... porque eso es sucio y bajo".
Aquí el texto del correo electrónico que llegó a la Dra. Smith:
August 7, 2011
Hon. Eric Holder
Attorney General
United States Department of Justice
RE: MR. JOSE VARGAS VIDOT AND H.R. 2567, FEDERAL FIRST OFFENDER IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2011. A CASE OF PHYSICIAN IMPERSONATION
Dear Mr. Holder:
I want to bring to your attention, to the attention of the official governmental bodies, professional accreditation agencies, puertorrican Universities, the media and the general population, that Mr. Jose Vargas Vidot, which co-authors the H.R. 2567, Federal First Offender Improvement Act of 2011, and who calls himself and made others call him “MD” and “Doctor” has never had a license to practice Medicine in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, where there is a crime punished by law to practice the medical profession without being properly licensed, or to misrepresent being a medical professional when the person has not complied with the requisites and examinations to be dully accredited by the State Medical Board. Mr. Vargas Vidot poses every day as a physician, publishing photographs of himself wearing medical attire, treating patients and using diagnostic instruments. Mr. Vargas has lead the press to call him “Doctor”, “Galeno” (Spanish for emulous of Galenus, the great Roman Physician) and wrongly accredit him as an “MD” with sub specialization in Communitarian Medicine. Mr. Vargas led even some of the most serious puertorrican institutions to error, making them to believe he has been legally licensed as a physician and making them to call him “M.D.”, as is the case with the Ana G. Mendez University System (Enlace) and even the University of Puerto Rico (Enlace). It is a matter of simply calling the Puertorican Medical Board (Junta de Licenciamiento y Disciplina Médica de Puerto Rico – (787) 753-4099, 999-8989 and the Medical College of Physicians and Surgeons (787) 751-5979) to corroborate that Mr. Vargas Vidot has never had a license to practice medicine in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Regarding the above stated information, where Mr. Vargas either calls himself “MD” and “doctor”, or lead or let others to do so; hundreds of instances can be easily found visiting: (Enlace)
In today newspaper “El Nuevo Día” page E-2, the Society for Human Resource Management of Puerto Rico (SHRM-PR) initiated the article announcing its 38 annual conference next September with the presence of one of their “motivators”: “El doctor José Vargas Vidot…”
Sadly enough, Mr. Vargas Vidot had not only mislead private organizations and the general population, but has also the audacity to be actively working in alliance with the Health Secretary, Dr. Lorenzo González and through insincere manipulation of the media, toward the acquisition of a multimillion dollar contract and the medical direction of one of the most ambitious medical programs of the Commonwealth Department of Health in the area of addiction therapies, in which federal funds are involved (Enlace) . In the past, Mr. Vargas has also participated in various other lucrative business ventures connected to the health industry that should be carefully investigated.
Mr. Vargas jointly with the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico in Washington D.C. Hon. Pedro Pierluisi, recently introduced legislation to promote “Sensible Sentencing Policy for low-level, nonviolent drug offenders” under H.R. 2567, the Federal First Offender Improvement Act of 2011. He misguided and led the Commissioner to assert in the official page of the House of Representatives (Monday, July 18, 2011): “…The Resident Commissioner announced his introduction of the bill alongside Dr. José Vargas Vidot…”…this bill will provide an offender with the time to reflect and rehabilitate, said Dr. Vargas Vidot…”. In other words, it was not enough shame to foolish the puertorrican people, Mr. Vargas pretends to foolish the whole US impersonating himself as a licensed physician. It seems ironic that Mr. Vargas has apparently sufficient medical knowledge and expertise to provide advice to noting less than the Congress of the United States, but not enough to sit and approve the basic medical examinations to be honestly accredited as an MD. (Enlace)
Mr. Vargas Vidot undoubtedly owns an explanation to the people of Puerto Rico. Moreover, it is legally advisable, wise and probably mandatory that Mr. Vargas Vidot publically clarifies that he has never had a license to practice Medicine in Puerto Rico and that he never directly treated or even touched the body of an addiction patient, which will otherwise constitute a crime under the Commonwealth laws. Mr. Vargas should also explain what mechanisms have used to intervene with patient’s bodies, or treat patients with controlled substances and other prescription drugs. Puerto Rico has been shocked in the near past by various worldwide known scandals and acts of corruption. It will be only fare that Mr. Vidot ask for forgiveness to our people for his posing as a physician in an island where there are thousands of graduates from different medical schools working in odd jobs to support their families, honest enough to know that they cannot practice medicine until they approve all the examinations required by law.
We ask ourselves, is by any criteria advisable that Mr. Vargas is presented by our police as the model of a citizen that our youth should follow when he is lying to all the people of Puerto Rico in such a fundamental matter?
It has come to our attention that Mr. Vargas thirst for notoriousness has made him to lobby hard to achieve that various entities recommended him toward the attainment of various prizes and recognitions. It is important that those organizations initiate a serious of investigation on Mr. Vargas Vidot, his true past and present life, true character and true actions.
Mr. Vargas repeatedly have publically humiliated the puertorrican medical professionals arguing arrogantly that they treat patients thinking only in money and compensation, in sharp contrast to his transparent, pure, selfless, spiritual and holistic care for the poorest of them. Mr. Vargas should be thought that real physicians do not evaluate the socio-economical status of a human as prerequisite to attend or treat him or her. Poor, middle class, or rich, diseases and suffering affects all humans equally, being cancer, HIV, hepatitis, cholera, A(H1N1) or any other types of maladies. A real physician has the moral duty to treat them all the same, with identical dedication and compassion regardless of any other consideration. Mr. Vargas disdains the efforts and sacrifices of our medical professionals and their families, their studies for long hours, days, weeks, months and years to approve the examinations that permit them to obtain a medical license and so cure diseases and treat suffering. Yes, they receive a just compensation for their honest work, but very much less that the hundreds of thousands that Mr. Vargas has obtained from a multitude of organizations posing as a physician. Every day Mr. Vargas is more and more aggressively asking publically for more and more money to sustain his organization and his permanent media tour. The multimillion buprenorphine fiasco and the fact that he cannot prescribe even one tablet of any controlled substance, demonstrates the temerity and greed of Mr. Vargas. The authorities should investigate closely the finances, history, previous business and whereabouts of Mr. Vargas. This all seems to be an extremely well orchestrated show directed by a disturbed and delirious mind to obtain lots of fame and lots of money.
Of course is by all means commendable that Mr. Vargas Vidot collaborates toward improving the standards of living of all persons with substance addiction, both in Puerto Rico and in the United States, or that he collaborates to bring accredited physicians and nurses to help the poor in other countries, but is also by all means inadequate, immoral and illegal that Mr. Vargas Vidot misleads people, here and abroad, to believe that he is a licensed Physician in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
One can probably argument that the real importance in practicing the medical profession is not how many diplomas or titles a person has, but the compassion, professionalism and dedication that person shows when treating those in need of care. We cannot agree more, so if our authorities decide to continue letting Mr. Vargas Vidot to practice medicine without a license and be called “MD” and “doctor”, it will be only fair that they as well extend the same concessions to the thousands of graduates of medical schools who have not yet approved the licensing examinations and have the same vocation and desire to dedicate their lives to serve and cure our sick and suffering.
Respectfully,
María Rodríguez MD
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Copy: Hon. Pedro Pierluisi
Puerto Rico Resident Comissionner