Governor Christie Raises Questions as He Exercises Double Standard with Prosecution of Dr. Richard Kaul

NEWARK, N.J., May 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As the story about New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's lap band procedure has unfolded, it has been confirmed that a progressive New York minimally invasive surgeon who performed the operation, actually traveled to the Governor's home in Mendham, New Jersey on more than one occasion to examine Christie. This doctor is not licensed to practice in New Jersey. Perhaps the  governor doesn't believe that the State law applies to him, and he relies on his Attorney General to take care of his supporters – the mega hospitals, big pharma, and certain doctors who support the State Republican coffers with substantial financial donations.

The State of New Jersey is currently prosecuting the case against Dr. Richard Kaul, a successful Indian doctor who is seen by many patients and colleagues around the world as a pioneer in minimally invasive spine surgery.  Until his license was suspended last year for a perceived lack of credentials to practice endoscopic procedures, Kaul was operating out of several ambulatory surgical centers in the State.  After Dr. Kaul's license was temporarily suspended last April, he filed suit in June against the State of New Jersey, Jeffrey Chiesa (the Attorney General of the State of New Jersey) and Doreen Hafner, the attorney currently prosecuting the case against him on behalf of the State, demanding an order to show cause. His attorney, Robert Conroy, concerned that a fair adjudication of his case was not possible, made an emergent request for the appointment of a special prosecutor and an adhoc medical board to decide the his case. The request was subsequently rejected. 

Just like the patients of Dr. Kaul, Christie chose to have his procedure done at an ambulatory surgical center. Meanwhile, Christie and his Attorney General are active in pursuing policies that attempt to put these ambulatory surgical centers out of business in New Jersey.  Suddenly, many weeks after the procedure on Christie was done, as if it was never supposed to have been made public (since Christie checked in under a false identity), the Australian-born doctor is being given a free pass, even though the media is hashing about with accusations of "sloppy care" resulting in numerous deaths and that he is being sued by a dozen patients. Kaul, on the other hand, who has a license (now suspended) to practice medicine and surgery in New Jersey has been unjustly dragged through the legal system by the Attorney General, acting on behalf of Christie at a rather massive cost to the State even though Kaul has never been shown to have broken any laws. 

Why would Governor Christie choose the option to pursue new techniques for his own treatment, while simultaneously standing by as his Attorney General's office prosecutes a case against Dr Kaul, whose reputation has also been the target of assassination by "Google? "

The answer can only lie in the fact that there is a double standard being applied and hypocrisy is rampant. Because Kaul's practice had bitten into the financial turf of some of the State's neurosurgeons and established local hospitals, the 'old guard' has leveraged their connections to New Jersey's political establishment to fight back. Kaul, for his part, has sued several local doctors, including UMDNJ neurosurgeon Dr Robert F. Heary and the State's primary witness against him, Dr. Gregory P Przybylski. During the current hearings, upon cross-examination, Przybylski acknowledged that the field of minimally invasive spine surgery is quickly evolving and there are no established credentials that ensure doctors' competence. The resulting costly confusion combined with dirty back room dealing by politicians, certain doctors and the greed-driven attorneys is further documented in a recent article by Walter Eisner in Orthopedics This Week, which speaks directly to the spine turf wars going on now in New Jersey. Ms. Hafner, who for her part seems desperate to win at any cost, is pushing for a seven-year revocation of Dr. Kaul's license. Furthermore, in what can be described as pure unmitigated gall and abuse of power, Hafner is demanding that Dr. Kaul not perform charitable medical work any where in the world during those seven years.  It has been well-documented that Dr. Kaul performs charitable spine procedures on US veterans as well as in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he has been able to help the many injured citizens of that country who have been adversely affected or injured by years of hard labor incurred by working in the mining industry there. 

Why did Chris Christie choose a New York physician? Why did he bypass the services that New Jersey's physicians and mega hospitals offer to have the procedure done in an ambulatory surgical center under a false identity? Who paid for the procedure? Why would Christie have such disregard for his own state and its regulations. The case of Dr. Richard Kaul is helping to shed light on the true character of who may possibly be the next President of the United States.  Is this a clear case of do as I say, not as I do? Possibly, yes. 

For Further Information:
Tameh Rohani +1 917.488.7124

SOURCE Dr. Richard Kaul