Public Should Be Paramount for Koop and All E-Doctors

Regarding “E-Health: Act 2” (Dec. 11): Ego and greed have driven many entrepreneurs into the Internet business. That this space could seduce even [former U.S. Surgeon General] Dr. Everett Koop is testimony to its corrupting power. Dr. Koop, once the symbol of medical trust, has now become representative of self-interested businessmen peddling suspect e-health information. Yes, in Act 1 they did fill the Web with content and links. Unfortunately, they also confused millions of Americans searching for lifesaving knowledge.

What we need in Act 2 is a band of civic-minded entrepreneurs--driven not by massive profit but by public service--who will serve as a clearinghouse, rater and reviewer of e-health data. DrKoop.com could have been a great nonprofit organization. Government, as the ensurer of justice in our society, surely must play a greater role in funding such sites and regulating the space.

The great yearning in e-health is for trustworthy information. There is still time for people like Dr. Koop, who clearly already had enough money to retire comfortably on, to return to serve the public interest, a role Dr. Koop should never have strayed from in Act 1.

--CALVIN NAITO

Los Angeles