Devendrakumar (Devendra) Ishwarbhai Patel, 58, a cardiologist in Elko, Nevada is the first in that state to face criminal charges since the formation of the Justice Department’s Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit. Nevada is one of 12 states under a U.S. Justice Department effort announced in August, 2017 that gave the state a federal prosecutor focused specifically on opioid abuse and fraud.

Dr. Patel is accused of 36 charges of distribution of controlled substances for overprescribing opioids for patients from May 2014 to September 2017 and three charges of health care fraud billing Medicare and Medicaid for medical tests that he allegedly did not perform.

The fact is, though, that the federal government cannot dictate how much a doctor prescribes. And since the people he prescribed to were patients, his prescribing is not criminal.

The indictment alleges that Patel performed EKGs on his patients, so he could then order nuclear stress tests which he did not administer. Having been a victim myself of Medicare fraud charges that weren’t true, I don’t believe this either.

Personally, I believe the entire crux of the attack on him is collusion between the government and his hospital to remove him from practice. Dr. Patel is a graduate of M.S. University Medical College, Baroda, India, completed his residency at the Catholic Medical Center, Jamaica, New York, and his fellowship at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital, New York. In October, 2017, Dr. Patel filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital claiming that since the start of his employment, he has faced significant racial discrimination from the Hospital’s CEOs, Chief of Staff, and other staff members. The Hospital made it clear that he was viewed as an outsider and inferior doctor compared to the American trained and Caucasian doctors.

Most of the attacks on doctors for prescribing opioids are against minorities in rural areas, as if the government is involved in ethnic cleansing of the profession. Minority physicians are welcomed into residencies where they work as slave labor. Then when they start practicing, they are targeted. This doesn’t surprise me in the slightest with the collusion between the AMA and the government over the last 150 years to remove competitive professions.

I can personally attest to collusion between hospital and government. I also was discriminated against in my local hospital. They were giving kickbacks to other doctors and I complained to the authorities. But the hospital owner’s brother was Senator Bill Frist, and all I got for my trouble was a target on my back.

The government also uses the media to brainwash the citizens so that trials are not unprejudiced. In Dr. Patel’s case the media printed all the government hype about overdose numbers, the “worst drug crisis in American history”, etc.

Well, the government has created the drug crisis.  How?

1. Criminalizing the use of drugs in the beginning. Drugs are not the cause of addiction, but the politicians of the time (early 1900’s) were looking for a way to disenfranchise minorities and create another source of slave labor—prisoners.
2. The establishment of unhealthy fast food and processed food.
3. The elimination of healing forms of medicine such as homeopathy and naturopathy and the politically motivated establishment of allopathic medicine as the only “legitimate” medicine. (Early work of the AMA/government collusion)

The attacks on good physicians forcing their patients to the street for self-medication.

I had hoped that, as a former legislator, Attorney General Jeff Sessions would correct the illegal interpretation of the Controlled Substance Act being conducted by the DOJ. Instead, he has picked up the baton and is running with it, saying:

“This summer, I ordered the creation of the Opioid Fraud and Abuse Detection Unit, which brings together data analysts and Assistant US Attorneys from throughout the country to prosecute doctors engaged in opioid-related health care fraud.” “I assigned a dozen prosecutors to focus solely on this problem where the epidemic is at its worst. These prosecutors are already delivering results, filing charges against doctors in Western Pennsylvania and Nevada. We will file many more charges in the months to come — because the Department of Justice will be relentless in hunting down drug dealers and turning the tide of this epidemic.”

But, Mr. Sessions, doctors prescribing to patients are not drug dealers. And all you are doing is create the problem you are trying to blame innocent doctors for.

As a result of the attack on Dr. Patel, FBI Special Agent Aaron Rouse states “Today’s arrest will send a message to other physicians that are prescribing opioids”

Well, I would like to send a message to those doctors. We have to stick together and combat this illegal use of a law designed to attack off-shore drug cartels. If we don’t, there soon won’t be any pain management and patients across the country will be forced to street drugs for relieve, or suicide. We already see that, except that the government wants to blame US for the problem THEY have caused.

Join us in the fight on DoctorsofCourage.

Addendum

Dr. Patel accepted a plea agreement in November, 2018.  He was sentenced to 3 year 1 month. He was released from prison in May, 2022.

To end these attacks, restore pain management, and provide compensation to all the families that have been destroyed by government overreach, we must get the Controlled Substance Act repealed.  Join Doctorsofcourage to get that done. Learn what we teach and spread the word.  NO DRUG CAUSES ADDICTION!! Let’s end the War on Drugs, Doctors and Pain Patients, end the black market, solve the southern border crisis, and restore proper pain management.  It CAN be done! 

Addendum:

I have failed in my mission to end these attacks on doctors and pain patients. Through John Bevere’s book The Bait of Satan, I have figured out why—my lack of forgiveness to those who attacked me. As in Mark 11: 24-26:

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespassed. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.

And when you do not do the will of the Father, you are estranged from him and he will ignore you.  So we all must forgive the agents who attacked us in order for things to be made right through any of our works.

Jesus said

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

But we cannot lay down our lives for God unless we know Him well enough to trust Him. We must have the assurance that He would never do anything to harm us. He always looks out for what He knows is in our best interest. As a nation, those of us suffering from these attacks must understand that we are serving as God’s messengers of love.  We must forgive those who persecute us and love them instead, following God’s will for us. Then and only then will we see fruits from our labor.

So I hope that everyone who has suffered from what happened to Dr. Patel can trust the Lord, forgive those who have hurt you, and help bring this country back to the God-fearing country that our forefathers founded. Then, and only then, can you be a part of the effort to stop these attacks. I look forward to that day.