PJ Sin Suela: The Doctor-Rapper Combating Puerto Rico’s Health Crisis

In the heart of an Afro-Caribbean community in northeast Puerto Rico, Dr. Pedro Juan Vázquez, better known by his stage name PJ Sin Suela, goes door-to-door offering free medical care to residents. With a warm greeting and a smile, he checks their vitals and engages in casual conversation, surprising those who aren’t accustomed to such personalized medical attention.

At 34, Suela is not just a physician; he’s also a well-known rapper who uses his music to spotlight social issues like inequality, poverty and gun violence. Balancing his two careers, he aims to raise awareness about Puerto Rico’s ongoing health crisis amid power outages and a critical shortage of medical professionals. The island has lost more than 8,600 doctors out of nearly 18,800 over the past decade—a concerning trend reported by The Center for a New Economy in 2023.

“We have a huge exodus of young people,” Suela told The Associated Press. “In Puerto Rico, we have a crisis much bigger than people think.”

Committed to making a difference, he travels from San Juan to remote areas of the island at least once a week to provide care to underserved communities; often those grappling with the aftermath of hurricanes, earthquakes and economic instability.

Suela’s journey is rooted in both music and medicine. Born in the Bronx, he moved with his family to Ponce, Puerto Rico, before eventually studying medicine in Bayamón, where Suela graduated as a doctor in 2015. His passion for music never faded, and in 2018, he gained widespread recognition with the hit single “Cuál Es Tu Plan?” featuring Puerto Rican icon Bad Bunny and reggaeton singer Ñejo. He later collaborated with other major artists, including Lin-Manuel Miranda and Residente.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Suela paused his music career to work full-time as a general practitioner in a Ponce hospital, treating patients of all ages who were thrilled to be cared for by the popular rapper. Initially, some colleagues doubted his commitment and qualifications due to his dual careers, but Suela quickly proved them wrong.

“After a month, everybody knew that this wasn’t a joke for me, and that I’m really good at what I do,” he said. “I shut up whoever doubted me.”

Beyond his medical practice, Suela’s music addresses the pressing issues affecting Puerto Rico. In his song “Las Balas Lloran” (“Bullets Cry”), he captures the tragic reality of gun violence, rapping about the randomness and senselessness of stray bullets. In “Somos Más” (“We Are More”), he tackles the island’s economic struggles, singing about the burdens placed on workers and public servants.

His commitment to his community has not gone unnoticed. In 2023, Suela received a humanitarian award at the Premios Tu Música Urbano, an event recognizing urban music artists. Dr. Carlos Díaz Vélez, president of Puerto Rico’s Association of Surgical Doctors, praised Suela for using his platform to shed light on the health crisis in Puerto Rico. “He [Suela] has expressed his criticism about what’s happening here because he himself knows what the problems are within the health system,” Díaz said.

Suela’s dedication extends to disaster relief efforts. In September 2022, following Hurricane Fiona, he visited the western town of Hormigueros to provide medical check-ups to families without power or water. Milagros Martínez, a community leader, recalls how Suela seamlessly balanced his medical role with his identity as an artist, earning the respect and admiration of the community.

Currently, Suela splits his time between medicine and music, working reduced shifts as a doctor in a mobile clinic with the nonprofit Direct Relief. Despite the frequent power outages that disrupt both his medical and musical endeavors, Suela remains focused on his mission.

“You’ll go and see people don’t have power for two days, going through the heat we have, and we have a huge transportation problem that people don’t talk about, where a lot of people can’t reach hospitals,” he said.

Determined to continue serving his community, Suela often calls on volunteers to assist with his mobile clinics. His fans, inspired by his dedication, frequently step up to help. “They sign up to treat patients for free all day with me,” he said. “I come out of [the clinic] crying sometimes.”

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This article was originally published on diversitycomm.net.