Evening star., 1946-05-05
Pass the Tydinqs Bih

The coldly objective report on
Washington hospitals made for the
Metropolitan Health and Hospital
Survey by DR.. Claude v. Munger,
president of the American College
of Hospital Administrators, comes
as dismal verif1cation of the
truly appalling conditions which
prompted Senate passage of the
Tydings bill.
That bill provides Government
funds to assist at least three of
the city's largest voluntary hos
pitfalls, pooling their own resources,
to construct new hospital center
of 1900 beds. 1t has been before
the House District Committee for
several months. It's prompt report
to the House and favorable action
by the House promise the only prac-
tical method of remedying some of
the deficiencies found by DR.. Mum
ger, who said that the condition of
hospital plants in Washington "iS
the worst which could be encoun-
tered in any area in this country
OF comparable Importance
Three things have delayed action,
now promised by Chairman Nc
MILAN, on this essential measure.
One has been the tendency to await
the findings, now available, of the
hospital survey. Another has been
the draft of proposed amendment
by the Federal Works Agency, about
to be completed. And another has
been the doubt, expressed by some
members of the subcommittee con-
sidering the bill, as to the National
Governments responsibility in the
matter and whether use of Federal
funds is justified.
1t is to be hoped that those who
hold such doubt will acquaint them
selves thoroughly with the facts.
The Federal Government is WASH
ington's only large industry, the
greatest single employer, the only
reason, as a matter of fact, for the
existence Of Washington as a city.
AS an example of it's responsibility,
sixty per cent of Emergency Hos
pital patients are Government en-
ployes. Hospital facilities available
to these employees and to citizens
who pay their own way are disgrace
fully, dangerously inadequate. And
aside from the obsolete hospital
structures, this inadequacy has been
magnified by an influx of Govern
ment employees which swelled the
city's population. in the past six
years, by nearly so per cent.
The cabinet member, the member
Of Congress and other influential
men In the Government have avail
able to them the extraordinarily fine
(and cheap facilities of the Naval
Hospital or Walter Reed in case of
illness. Evidently they assume
Government responsibility for their
welfare which gives them entry to
these fine service hospitals. But the
average Government employe, if he
can get into hospital at all, suffers
from the effects of obsolete equip
ment, dangerous overcrowding and
what DR.. Munger calls the hazards
of fire and lack of proper sanitation.
Under the Tydings bill plan, the
combined assets of at least three of
the city's largest voluntary hospitals
will be preserved. The solicitation
and bequest of private funds will
continue. The Federal Government
will be merely chipping in the right
ful share of the largest and most
powerful of the community's en-
ployers. The Tydings bill should be
enacted Immediately. Its passage is
the Number One priority in the long
list of things needed to be done to
remove the disgrace, in the National
Capital, of inadequate, rundown
hospitalS