Evening star., 1945-11-11
Veterans Hospitals
To Be Surveyed by
Medical Specialists
BY MIRIAM GUTENBERG.

-
A plan for specialists in virtually
every field Of medicine to make q
thorough survey of much-criticizee
veterans hospitals, with an eye tt
spotttng the weak points and recon-
mending improvements, was dis
closed last night by Maj Gen. Pau
r. Hawley, surgeon general of the
Veterans Administration.
Each Of the specialists, some oi
whom already have accepted Gen
Hawley's invitation to work on q
full or part-time basis, will be re-
sponsible for improving service In
his particular line.
Previously, the medical service
was divided into three groups
general medicine, tuberculosis and
neuro-psychiatry. Under Gen. Haw-
leyis plan, separate services will be
established for 20 different fields
of medicine with top men as con-
sultants.
In the course of the hospital sur
vey the specialists will determine
whether the service in their line is
good or bad; whether the men per-
forming operations are qualified; !;
whether techniques could be i'm
proved and whether new equipment
and additional buildings are needed
Gen. Hawley explained. Improve
ments in hospital care will be based
on their recommendations.
Start from Scratch.
We're starting completely from
scratch" Gen. Hawley said. We've
got lot of tearing down to do be-
fore we can start building up. If
we could have closed up every hos
pital on September 80 for remodel
ing, we could have done the job in
two months, but we've got to keep
on doing business while we re-
model"
Gen. Hawley also disclosed nego-
tiations are under way to get med
ical schools and centers to provide
stats of visiting physicians for the
veterans hospitals. These physi-
clans will be required to spend half
of each day making ward rounds
and taking complete charge of the
service in which they have special
lied. Their duties will be similar
to those of visiting staffs in private
hospitals except that in the pri-
vate institutions, visiting physicians
rarely spend that much time in the
hospital.
Mayo Clinic Aid Sought.
First of these arrangements Is to
be made with the Mayo Clinic and
the University of Minnesota Medical
School Similar arrangements will
be made later with medical schools
to provide the staff for Mount Alto
Hospital here and for veterans hos
pitals in other cities.
AS soon as these stats have been
appointed, training of resident
physicians and postgraduate courses
within the veterans hospitals also
will begin, with a view to develop
ing specialists to care for the vet
Grams.
The best doctors now in veterans
lOcPlIo1o A4OCC w 1AICdAAo1 SCllVC1 :
will be transferred to the outlying
hospitals to raise the level of care
in those which can't be reached by
visiting specialists.
Bill Waits Action.
Representative Rankin, Demo-
crat, of Mississippi, chairman of the
House Veterans Committee, said a
subcommittee had approved bill
setting up a medical corps within
the Veterans Administration and
the full committee hopes to act on
1t this week. &. Z
Gen. HaWley, who said he had
worked with the subcommittee on
the bill to bolster veterans medical
service, told a group of veterans Or
ganizations yesterday he would be
unable to take advantage of the
cooperation offered by organized
medicine, unless action is taken soon
to provide more pay, incentives to
improve themselves and adequate
retirement privileges for Veterans
Adn,ipietra tiop doctors