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Contributing Scholar: Scott Atlas

Doctors vs. Bureaucrats: Who Should Control Patient Care

When government mandates override physician judgment, trust in medicine erodes. The COVID-19 pandemic made this evident — trust in doctors and hospitals fell from 72% in 2019 to 40% by 2024. The case for restoring doctor-patient autonomy has never been more urgent.

Doctors vs. Bureaucrats: Who Should Control Patient Care

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Doctors vs. Bureaucrats: Who Should Control Patient Care

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Published March 16, 2026

During COVID-19, physicians who questioned official mandates on lockdowns, school closures, and vaccines faced censorship and professional retaliation — silencing scientific debate at the moment it mattered most. As a result, trust in doctors and hospitals fell from 72% in 2019 to 40% by 2024.

The connection is direct: when government mandates displace physician judgment and informed consent, public trust erodes. Rebuilding it requires restoring the primacy of doctor-patient decision-making and the freedom to follow evidence over directives.

Learn more from Scott Atlas:

Read "Physician Autonomy And Free Speech: Essential For Effective Public Health Response" by Scott Atlas here.
Read "Unwitting victims" by Scott Atlas here.
Read "Understanding and Saving Gen Z To Save America" by Scott Atlas here.

Visit Scott Atlas's profile here.

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The opinions expressed in this video are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University.