Gov. Jeff Landry names former Congressman Dr. Ralph Abraham state’s first Surgeon General

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has named Dr. Ralph Abraham as the state’s first Surgeon General.

Abraham was serving as Secretary for the Louisiana Department of Health. Landry says this will put a doctor in charge of health policy, and an executive will oversee implementation.

“Having a physician in charge and working alongside of a secretary of the LDH is kind of like a CEO, I think strengthens our healthcare system,” said Landry.

Abraham has been a practicing family medicine physician in Richland Parish for more than 30 years, and he also served three terms in Congress. Undersecretary Michael Harrington has been promoted to LDH Secretary.

Landry says in his role as Surgeon General, Abraham will look to modernize Louisiana’s healthcare and policies.

“Now has the flexibility to go in a work with our med schools, work with our nursing schools, work with our medical board and be able to look at the entire field,” Landry said.

Abraham says he wants to change policies that he believes have been holding the state back in providing better healthcare.

“We will work with hospitals, doctors, medical schools, universities,” said Abraham. “Everyone that is in that chain that impacts that healthcare of that patient.”