The Bernie Sanders campaign waited three days to disclose that Sanders had a heart attack last Tuesday, and details about its severity are still unconfirmed. Medical ethicist Art Caplan discussed whether the public deserves to know every detail about a public official's personal health on Boston Public Radio on Tuesday.
"It would be nice to have more information as soon as it's known," Caplan said. "I'm not trying to argue that someone in their 70s shouldn't run for the high office, but it's just reasonable that the public deserves to know better."
Popular presidential candidates should be evaluated by a non-biased medical group, Caplan said.
"Anybody who makes it through to the final five ought to have an independent assessment by a panel of experts appointed by the Institute of Medicine, which is a free standing government science and medical advisory board."
Sanders' heart procedure is very common and doctors agree that he will be fine to continue with the campaign, Caplan added.
"The stent procedure that he had to open up an artery is very, very common — hundreds of thousands of them are done, and they work, and he probably is good to go," Caplan said.
Caplan is the Drs. William F and Virginia Connolly Mitty Chair, and director of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center. He’s also the co-host of the everyday ethics podcast.
