Shall we ban doctors?

Deaths from medical mistakes are a tragedy and this past year has only highlighted the need for more transparency and better oversight of our healthcare system. With the rise in cost of healthcare, it’s easy to overlook that despite all the “advances” made in modern medicine, millions die every year due to medical errors. In fact, a recent study suggests that between 251,000 to 440,000 deaths a year can be attributed to hospital errors or mistakes made by doctors.

On the other hand, many would argue that guns are an essential part of personal freedom and liberty as they provide citizens with protection from threats. However, there are also gun-related deaths that accordingly to certain sources “run rampant” in America, with data showing that nearly 40,000 people were killed by firearms in 2018 alone.

When compared together over the last five years, death statistics reveal a much different story than most might initially think. According to numbers provided by The Centers for Disease Control, in 2014 roughly 32,000,000 people died due to medical errors while just over 45,000 gun-related fatalities were reported – nearly 600 times fewer than medical mistakes induced deaths. 

More recently in 2019, approximately 37,000,000 people died due to medical errors while again around 45,000 gun-related fatalities were seen – still nearly 800 times fewer than deaths caused by medical mistakes that occurred throughout the same period of time.

These two basic statistics effectively contrast how underappreciated healthcare reform is compared to some who clamor for more weapon regulations.

Ultimately what we should recognize based on these facts is how flawed our current health care system is and how important solutions like searching for alternative health solutions can be when it comes preventing needless deaths from occurring each year.