Physician Group Sues Over Removal of Health Information

The nonprofit physician group Doctors for America, represented by the Public Citizen Litigation Group, filed a lawsuit on February 4 against the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), for the removal of health-related data and other information.

In a news release, Doctors for America stated that “the complaint explains that the removal of key webpages and datasets creates a dangerous gap in the scientific data available to monitor and respond to disease outbreaks, deprives physicians of resources that guide clinical practice, and takes away key resources for communicating and engaging with patients.”

“Like many of my colleagues, I am both a doctor who takes care of patients and a researcher. Removing critical clinical information and datasets from the websites of CDC, FDA, and HHS not only puts the health of our patients at risk but also endangers research that improves the health and health care of the American public,” said Dr. Reshma Ramachandran, member of the board of directors for Doctors for America, in a statement. “Federal public health agencies must reinstate these resources in full to protect our patients.”

“These federal agencies exist to serve the American people by protecting public health,” said Zach Shelley, an attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group, in a statement. “Removing this vital information flouts that mandate.”