The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1946-01-11
County-HospitnIs Program Gains

S@EssS
the state needs more than four such hospitals
if Mr.. Sillers goal of a hospital in reach OF
all within a 30-mile radius is to be realized
Supporters of the four-year medical school
claim that Mississippi is badly understaffed
with doctors and that a medical school will
solve the problem. But the proponents of the
small regional and county hospital program
seem to us to ave a more realistic answer,
They point out that during the war BIT doc
tors went into the armed service-many of
whom are not expected to return to MiSsis-
sippi-and that in the same period 1863 doc
tors died. To create an expensive medical
school in Jackson, which will cost about five
million dollars down, and an annual main
tenance as much as all other state colleges
combined, and which will serve a medical
student body of only about 200, and graduate
about SO each year, seems an inefficient, in
adequate and costly way to face the problem.
Expensive as it will be, such a school will
never catch back the need of medal person
mel in Mississippi.
A recent editorial in the Richmond
Wal Times Dispatch. pointed out to Mis-
sissippi authorities that West Virginia
has confronted a similar problem by ar
ranging with the Virginia medical school
to train a quota of West Virginia men
each year. In return the state of West
Virginia pays its sister state a per-stud-
emit recompense for this service. The boys
get first-rate medical training, and the
state of West Virginia saves the large
overhead of maintaining a medical
school. We advocate that Mississippi for
the next few years at least seek such re-
ciprocal covenants with Tulane. LSU.
Vanderbilt. and University of Tennessee
and that Mississippi boys who are edu-
' Gated under this program must agree to
return to the state for practice for a
stipulate number of years. The money
that is saved will run into millions. and
this can go to the county hospitals. to
x-raY equipment. to electric cardiagraph
equipment. and to all the other modern
and life-saving equipment that Missis-
sippi is so desperately short of.
The lack of modern medical facilities is
one of the chief reasons as any doctor knows
why a young man who has spent years and
money in modern medical education, learn
ing. to use the latest methods and instru-
ments, does not care to return to the rural
counties. Training fifty men a year in Jack
son willfhardiy change this picture if the men
still do not rave modern facilities for their
practice back in the country" Providing
these county hospitals for the people and for
the doctors is one of the most effective means
of Solving the doctor shortage in Mississippi
The location of the school at which they are
trained is secondary until such hospitals can
be built.
That is the logic of the argument against
the plan for an expensive four-year medical
school and hospital in Jackson. 1t is a case
Of putting far too many eggs in a basket
which, even under ideal success, could not
fill the present doctor needs to begin with.
Eventually this state will need a four-year
school and eventually we can support one
large enough. and with enough money for
staff and equipment to do a first-rate job.
But that time is not now. First things come
first, and the system of regional hospitals,
plus a system of state-sponsored medical in
surance plans, are first on the list right now.
We were told recently in Jackson, that
Governor Tom Bailey. originally one of the
strongest supporters of the four-year medical
school, seems to be swinging around to the
point of view that regional hospitals are
needed first. If this is a fact, we think this
is good sense on the Governors part. And
we should like to see him come out with his
usual vigor for an adequate program of re-
gional facilities.