The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-11-17

Washington, D. C.-Modicni care in the United States is faced with a serious dilemma. on tho one hand. present medical personnel and fa- cilItios are inadequate to meet tho real needs of alI the people: on the other hand, until the people firut have been educated to demand good medical care and until moro satisfactory arrangements have been made for paying the costs of such care, it would bc unwiae to increase the personnel and faclii- ties because such an increase would result merely in additional unem- ployment among medical practi- tioners and an accumulation of un- used equipment. This situation was revealed in the latest report of the committee on the Costs of Medical Care, just completed.
 This study of "The Fundamen- tals q f Good Medical Care" by Rog- CT I. Lee, M. D., and Lewis Web- ster Jones, Ph.D.. published by the University of Chicago Press, is the twenty-second report completed by the committee on the costs of Medical Care. which on November twcnty-ninth of this year. at q meeting in New York City, will is- sue it's Final Report with recom- mendations based on it's hve-year study of the problem of providing .adcquate, scientific medical Berv- fec to all the people, rich and poor, at cost which can be reasonably met by them."
 Intense interest has been arous- ed both Yin medical circles and '. tn n OM 4f. D. Ot fk a final recommendations of the com mittee will be. The committee is a non governmental organization composed of physicians. dentists, public health officers, economists, and representatives of various in- stitutions and of the general pub lie.
 Real Needs Contrasted
 Tho report estimates that ap- proximatcly 135 physicians are necessary to meet the present real needs of an average population group of 100000, whereas there were actually only 128 physicians ted States in 1929.
 The estimated real need for den- lists is between 99 and 179 per AVVtuVV PGOptSp WitSiGhb &VSo there were only 68 actually avail able. (The variation fin the estimate "99 and 170" Is dependent upon the extent to which dental hygienists and dental technicians are used.) The estimated real need for hos pital beds of all kinds per 100000 population is 1,168, whereas in 1890 there wero only 730 per 100,- n1n aifah hada aVniIahlA. These figures were ascerteined after Q careful survey of the pres ent extent of diseases and disabil- ities among the people and the formulation of detailed estimates of the amount of service needed to care for these conditions. In esti- mating the services needed, the authors consulted scores of prom inent tnternists. surgeons. obstet- ricians and other specialists, and many general practitioners.
 Tho report makes no attempt to contrast real need with the present demand for medical care. But pre- vious publications of the commit tee and a forthcoming report or | the demical care received by 5000 | families in the United States indi. cate that the present effective dc. mand for medical service falls tt l utilize the facilities of agencies now
 available. "Since no unified system designed 10 provide service in nc
 cordance with the ascertained neet
 has ever been set up. the present demand bears no necessary rela- ton to the real need for medical care." according to the authors. The provision of adequate med- ical care must therefore wait upon q practical solution of the prob lems of economic or9anization. in which the questions of cost and the means of payment are para mount. It involves also the solution of difficult problems of technical organization to assure not only quantitatlve sufiiciency. but above