Evening star., 1948-02-17
Ga|Iinger 10 Add
Negro !! Doctors
To Staff in Fall
Meeting Is Called
For Discussion of
Controversial Details
By Thomos 6. Buehonon

SOfItIVVCfSiQ IStutlS
By Thomos 6. Buehonon
Substantial agreement has
been reached on proposal to
admit Negroes to the medical
staff OF Gallinger Hospital next
fall.
George Washington and George
town Universities, which now fur
rish the hospitals visiting staff by
contract with the Health Depart
ment, have accepted, 'in principle, "
a three-way division of medical
services that would include Howard
University.
Meeting Called Friday.
Representatives of the institu-
tions will meet Saturday to discuss
many controversial details of the
agreement.
The meeting was called yesterday
after Commissioner Guy Mason con-
ferred with university represent
ative in the latest of series of
exploratory" discussions. Rumors
of the impending agreement were
confirmed last night by the Federal
Security Agency, which has rep
resented Howard University in the
negotiations, and by university
officials.
If Negro doctors. residents. interns
and medical students are assigned
to care of patients at the city insti-
tuition, it will be the first District
hospital to abandon its traditional
policy of accepting only white ply
sicians.
Noted In Report.
It will also be the first significant
victory for policies recommended
last fall by the Presidents Com
mittee on Civil Rights, which placed
exclusion of Negro doctors from
District hospitals high on its list of
discriminatory practices here.
The only hospital where Negro
doctors now can get their training
or treat patients here is Freedmen's
Hospital. which, with Howard Uni
Z yersity, is administered by the FSA.
Under the plan tentatively ac-
cepted by the three medical schools,
Howard medical personnel would
take share next fall in operation
of the communicable disease, pedi-
strics and obstetrical wards.
They also would furnish doctors
and students for the psychiatric de-
partment, which now is operated by
Gallinger's own staff without par
ticipation by the medical schools. 1t
has been recommended that the
schools use this department for
training, in the expectation that
their participation would raise its
standards of care, recently under
criticism.
Expanded Service Later.
The services named are the only
departments Howard would be
ready to help staff at the beginning
of the next academic year, Howard
Medical Dean Joseph l., johnson
has reported to Federal Security Ad
ministrator Oscar r. Ewing. In
few years, Howard Spokesman say,
they would seek an equal share of
each service.
DR.. Cloyd Heck Marvin and the
Rev. Lawrence German, presidents
of George Washington and George
town, respectively, say Exploratory"
meetings already have resulted in
expressions by all parties of de-
sire to work out a mutually salts
factory division of Gallinger serv-
ices.
DR.. Marvin said the medical
schools recognized the need of the
training of Negro physicians" and
have suggested that the time is ap-
propriate for their admission to
Gallinger.
To admit Howard University
would necessitate a revision in the
present working agreement among
the two medical schools and the
Health Department. by which the
schools furnish a visiting staff which
does most of the actual treatmen
of Gallinger patients In return for
the right to demonstrate proper
diagnoses and care to their students.
Other Issues in Prospect.
Chief stumbling blocks that may
yet be encountered are the issues
of whether Negro medical personnel
would be assigned separate eating
and housing facilities and whether
they would be restricted to the care
of Negro patients, who constitute
10 per cent of Gallinger's total.
The opening of Galiinger Hospital {
to Negro doctors and students has {
been sought by FSA Administrator I
Ewing since he took office last fall,
as being vital to the training of $
Negro physicians. Half the coun- !
try's Negro doctors, he has pointed 8
out, are trained at Howard, and 7
they cannot become expert in their
profession unless they have enough
experience with actual patients. .
Until now. they have had only the
400 patients at Freedmen's Hospital Z