Evening star., 1948-12-26
Health Setup Waste
Charged by Hoover
Group; Merger Urged
tcontinued From First Page.)

force" recommendations. 1t would
be turned over to the District, how
ever, when the District government
can give assurance that the hos
pitfalls present high standards would
be maintained.
Would Transfer Freedmen's.
Freedmens Hospital would be
transferred to Howard University.
Also included in the proposed sys-
tenn would be the Soldiers Home
here and the Naval Home in Phila-
delphla
The report criticized the Veterans
Administration building program
as waste. 1t called Shocking" the
$4,000 to $4,000 and even $51 900
per bed costs for veterans hospitals
-"as much as no one but wealthy
man can afford to pay for a house.
It contrasts these costs with the
per bed cost of $4,000 at which it
says voluntary hospitals are able to
build.
1t said VA hospital construction
is going forward although the chief
medical director does not desire
such construction<and does not be-
lieve he can staff the hospitals.
In addition to creating Federal
Hospital system to eliminate dupli-
cation of services the committee
would extend aid to community
facilities and contract with them for
care of Federal patients.
Definition by Congress Urged.
In addition to other recommended
tions the committee said:
Congress should give clear def
milton as to beneficiaries entitled
to Government medical care and
how 1t may be given.
Since many medical schools are
an serious condition, the Public
Health Service should make q sur
vey Immediately to determine the
real need for Government emer-
sency aid.
"Transcending in Importance any
Of our other recommendations Is
the need to outflank disease by
giving the highest priority to re-
SCdIC1l, plCtCllOdt1FC IllCO1SAllC, pun
lie health and education"
Medical Service Merger Urged.
Medical services supporting the
armed services should be merged
but this is acknowledged to be difd-
cult under the present set-up OF
three separate branches of the serv-
ice. An Assistant Secretary of De-
fense, however, should have the
primary responsibility of co-ordi-
mating the medical services, the
report asserted.
The committee said its hospital
plan is necessary measure for
national defense. 1t would reduce
the need for doctors and enable
them to care for Federal benefi-
,ciaries without leaving their COM
munities, the committee report said
I'm an atomic age" it added
physicians cannot be taken from
their communities as they were in
the last war"
A unified supply system for
medical items, the committee said
would effect q great saving and
could cut the present number OF
Federal medical depots to about
one-third.
Shortage Of Doctors Stressed.
The report stressed the shortage
of doctors in Government service,
and 1t said there was also inefficient
use Of skilled personnel. The COM
r1ittee quoted its subcommittee on
armed forces disqualification, headed
by DR.. Hawley, as saying that. ade-
ouate medical care for the armed
services has become matter of
the gravest concern.
II adequate medical care is to
be given the armed forces the serv-
ices Of expert medical and surgical
specialists must be made available
In some way other than by full
time employment, the subcom-
fnittee said. 1t estimated 25 per
cent deficit in Army and Air Force
surgeons last October /, which
would increase to 40 per cent by
July 1, 1850.
While the medical manpower Of
VA has improved, 1t has been at the
expense of the other services, the
committee said. Without a basic
reorganization high level of medi-
cal care Is impossible. the committee
reported. 1t quoted the Hawley SUBJ
committee as saying:
Efficient and economical use by
the Government of the limited
amount of medical talent can be
assured only through the establish
ment Of a single system of Federal
hospitals in which the bulk of the
responsibility of the Government for
medical care can be discharged.
Great Economy Seen.
such a system would effect a
great economy in hospital plant as
well as in medical personnel of all
categories, and 1t would least disturb
the medical care Of the civil popu-
lation both in war and in peace"
Mr.. Hoover, in making the report
public, SAID he wanted to make 1t
clear that task force" findings do
not necessarily represent the final
conclusions Of the commission. Ap-
parently anticipating dissent in re-
gard to including VA hospitals in the
new bureau, he said:
I'VE all want our veterans and
members of the armed services to
have first-rate medical care. The
problem is to provide such care
without overtaxing our limited
number of trained physicians and
other medical resources.
This means that me must elimi-
nate waste in the use of these
physicians and in the use of these
resources. Thus also we can elimi-
nate waste in the taxpayers money
Unless we do. veterans, servicemen
and civilians alike will suffer"
VA Has No Comment.
The Veterans Administration had
no comment on the task force pro-
posals. A VA spokesman said the
attitude Of Veterans Administrator
Gray Is that he carries out the law
and that he will do what Congress
wants.
Three divisions would be set UP
under the projected health bureau.
They are:
Medica1 Caro- Division in u,hicb