Casper Mahler was my great-grandfather, and in his search for freedom, safety, and opportunity, in the late 1800s, he left Germany and migrated to the United States. His choice proved to be a wise one, as he learned that “the land of opportunity” did, in fact, exist. In raising his family, he taught my grandfather using the same principles: ‘Dream big, work hard, and with time and due-diligence will come personal pride, and accomplishment.’

Unfortunately, through the years, the “land of opportunity” has many of today’s American’s concerned with less redeeming morals and values, and business standards are suffering. This is evident within healthcare. Obamacare has so many physicians concerned in regards to the future of healthcare and how they will be affected, some of opting out of the industry all together. I can’t say I blame them. So what will happen to hospitals and other facilities?

In the government’s efforts to take care of the United States and America, as it always does, a recruitment process has been put in place. Of course, there’s a kicker: the recruiting pool consists of IMGs from India, Pakistan, Mexico and other countries, that are known to have “fragile health systems,” as stated in a recent edition of The World Health Organization, which also noted that India and Pakistan are “health workforce crisis countries.”

Although our nation’s unemployment rate is at its highest, our economy is at its worst, the quality of patient care is questionable, at best, our government has decided to recruit from a hiring pool outside of our country. And while we are experiencing a shortage in physician services providers, considerably noted in primary care medicine, our  country is known for its nationally recognized medical schools, and most sought-after residency programs.

Yet job openings will be offered to foreigners. Land of opportunity or land of exigency? I don’t think my grandfather would have risked his life or brought his family to the United States, had our country been run similarly, more than a century ago. And I don’t believe our founding fathers would be too proud either.