Evening star., 1942-06-04
Freedmen's Interns Exocted
Patient Fees, GAO Charges
Nurses in Charge of Infontsl Wrote
Liquor Prescriptions, Probers Soy

found "ex1reme carelesSneSs and
negligence, in the handling of drugs
and narcotics by the ward attend
ants and they found erasures and
alterations on, and evidence of tam
pering with, narcotic prescriptions. ="
The report charges that an in
terne, Dr.. Everett j. Robertson, ex-
acted sass from an INDECENT patient,
which he turned over to the hos
pital after he had been questioned
regarding it. Another patient, the
report alleged, was forced to pay $40
to an inferno, DR.. Alvin C. Thornton,
to obtain admission to the hospital.
The money later was returned after
investigation. it was said.
There have been numerous COM
plaintsf about the quality and guam
tity off meals, the report said. con-
cluding that there we're numerous
instances of inefficiency and vast
age" in the dietary department. 1t
recommended consistent planning
Of meals and maintenance of per-
petRD inventory of foodstuffs.
n. c. Held Overcharged.
A survey of admission of patients
reported by Arthur Pilkerton, Dis
tritc tauditor, led Mr.. Pilkerton to
conclude that "the hospital is over
changing the District government
for INDECENT patients" the report
said. The District is required to re-
imblR-se the hospital for INDECENT
patients at a base rate of ga per
centtIm of the hospitals appropria-
tions.
r be hospital maintains no perpet-
ual inventory of supplies and equip
meat, the report asserted, adding
thsat "it is believed that a consider
able reduction in the expenditures
cap be effected through the elimi-
nation of wastage and breakage"
through a more systematic account
ling of supplies.
1T has been the practice of DR.
IT! Edward Jones to extend
professional courtesy to certain per-
lsons seeking admittance to the hos
lmtal, a practice which does not
lappear to be authorized in any OF
the statutes and/or the regulations
of Freedmen's Hospital" the report
declared.
"An examination of the admission
records discloses that professional
Scourtesy had been extended to in
Eclude members of the family. rela-
ftives and friends of the administra-
8tive officials of the hospital, and to
smembers of the family, relatives and
ff-iends of members of the visiting
staff.
Professional Courtesy"
THE custom is to assign the pa
tient to a private room and to ex-
tend all the facilities of the hospital
to the patient without charge. Such
action is based upon the fallacious
theory that inasmuch as the attend
ing physician is extending profess
sional courtesy for his services, the
hospital should do likewise.
Recently it has become more
difficult to detect cases of profess
sional courtesy since the patients
are admitted as pay patients, at
which time they make a nominal
payment on the account, and the
administrative officials do not press
for payment Of the balance due on
the account"
Patients who allegedly received
such courtesy" included Mordecai
w. johnson, jr., son of the president
of Howard University; the late Allan
F. jackson, father of DR.. Lawrence
w. jackson, assistant director of
the hospital. and DR.. Jones late
wife.
The report charged that early in