Drop the Case Against Dr. Syed J. Akhtar-Zaidi’s Medical Practice and Stop the War on Pain Patients and Providers.

“As an above-knee amputee who has undergone 42 surgeries since 2000, I suffer from chronic and often unbearable pain. Without the care I received from Dr. Zaidi over the past years, I would not have been able to do the most basic things as a husband and father of six children. Dr. Zaidi always took the time to hear what was going on with me and he is genuinely concerned for all his patients.”

– James Justice of Cuyahoga Heights (Ohio), Patient of Dr. Zaidi for seven years.

Until very recently, Dr. Syed J. Akhtar-Zaidi operated a successful medical practice in Solon, Ohio specializing in pain management.  As a surgeon, Dr. Zaidi had learned the heavy toll that pain bears on individuals and their families.  He also learned the remarkable impact an effective pain management regimen could have on improving their quality of life.  He would realize his American dream when he opened his own practice in 1995; treating police officers, attorneys, teachers, musicians, and construction workers to get their lives back from the throes of acute and chronic pain.

His life and the lives of his patients would change forever on the morning of October 10th, 2013. In a brutally intrusive raid, agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized patient records and pushed patients from examining tables, forcing them out of the office. The agents also raided the home he shares with his wife and two young daughters, seizing all manner of personal belongings. Dr. Zaidi and his wife were then informed that all of their financial assets were frozen as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged drug trafficking and money laundering. The DEA even revoked his license to prescribe medication, stripping him of any power to treat his patients and earn a living. His American dream was crushed.
 
That was October 10th, 2013.

10 months have passed and no charges have been filed against Dr. Zaidi.  

Now Dr. Zaidi has been forced to sell his home and shutter his clinic just to retain legal counsel. It is time for the DEA and US Attorney to call off this fishing expedition, which has left hundreds of patients without their doctor and while providing no alternative. As each additional day passes, patients and their families continue to suffer.

Sign and share this petition to urge the DOJ and DEA to address the abuse of prescription drugs and illicit substances with the thoughtfulness these devastating issues deserve. The DEA should work with legitimate medical providers to understand and fight drug abuse and addiction, rather than demonizing them and their patients with ill-defined and inflammatory rhetoric like “Pill Mills”. Give Dr. Zaidi and his family a fighting chance at swift and fair legal processes so that he can resume serving his patients and community.

Sincerely,

Patients and Supporters of Dr. Zaidi | pmno.patients@gmail.com