Evening star., 1949-08-09
Reorsapization Plan Held Faulty
In Not Correcting Evils of voorhees, Repor

Reorganization Plan Held Faulty
In Not Correcting Evils of voorhees, Report
To the Editor Of The Star:
The Presidents Reorganization Plan No. /
is meeting determined challenge and opposi-
ton. He would coordinate all problems of
health. education and security in a single
department of welfare.
Much Of this challenge and opposition to
urgently needed reorganization comes from
organized medicine. Doctors make no pre-
tense Of knowing our Nations needs In edu-
cation or social security, but in peace and
in war we have demonstrated that We can
be trusted to do our duty by the sick.
Our fear is not reorganization. We fear
the reorganizers! While reorganization will
not create a single urgently needed doctor
or hospital it will create new power for the
Executive and his administrators. Both have
been hostile to what they regard as reac-
tionary attitudes on the part Of organized
medicine. Given this new power, We have
no assurance that 1t will not oe used for
vengeful reprisals or political serrymander-
ing.
Oscar w. Ewing the prospective car Of
the healing arts and present Social Security
administrator. has made much over the fact
plan. In turn doctors ask: Does this reor-
ganization plan correct the grave faults and
weaknesses of Federal medical services as
disclosed In the Voorhees, report?"
1t will be recalled that Tracy s. Voorhees,
was the chairman who released the Report
to the Commission on Organization Of the
Executive Branch Of the Government by his
Committee on Federal Medical Services.
This authoritative report was highly crit
ical of the waste, duplication, inef1iciency
and general ineptitude Of Federal manage
ment Of the vast domain of health facilities,
functions and resources already under Fed
eral control. Mr.. Voorhees, noted: Govern
ment is moving in the direction Of taking on
uncalculated obligations irf the health field
without any clear understanding of their
ultimate COST the lack Of professional man
power to discharge them or the adverse
effect upon the hospital system of the coun-
try" He concludes: There must be overall
planning which in turn requires 0rst,A clear
definition Of the extent Of TIE responsible
ties and second an organization to carry out
the commitment" ~.- ~ --
The Voorhees, COMMITTEES found: Wasteful
duplication OF, Federal hc4pitai facilities;
duplication, waste and inefdciency in the
operation Of hospitals for the tuberculosis
G.s per cent Of all hospital beds) and neuro-
psychiatric patients (48.7 per cent of all hos
pital beds): over-building, excessive costs and
faulty location of Government hospital con-
struction; too long period Of disqualification
for patients treated in Government general
hospitals average length of stay in Federal
hospitals 27.9 days but only 80 days in nom
government hospitals; acute and continue
ing shortage of medical manpower limiting
the number of hospital beds to be operated
by Federal medical agencies; lack OF clear
definition of policy as to who has valid title
to Federal medical services in relation to
service dependents, and veterans with non
service connected disabilities.
Taxpayers are desperate and they deserve
relief from politicians who conspire to re-
main in power through deficit spending. Gov
ernment GState-FederaD control OF the Ma
TONS hospitals has reached dominant pro-
portions. In 1948 there were 6,335 registered
hospitals with q bed capacity Of 1,42S,520
which admitted 16,4 ,422 ,774 patients. Though
71.6 per cent Of the Nations total hospital
beds were under Government control they
only processed 26.1 per cent of the total
patients admitted. This is statistical proof
that Government takes longer to do less at
greater cost to the taxpayer. 1t substitutes
the diagnosis Of waste and incompetence
charged in the Voorhees, report.
Doctors haye right to ask II the reor-
gan1zat1on plan proposed gives assurance
that the evils revealed in the Voorhees, re-
port will be corrected. It is not enough to
say the reorganization plan conforms to the
sensible recommendations Of the Hoover
Commission. The administration should be
required to prove it corrects known dere-
lictions before 1t assumes new mastery of
delegated powers beyond the veto and dis
cipline of the electorate.
THOMAS e. MATTINGLY, M. d.
Complains About Refusal
OF Refunds on WaterSate Tickets
To the Editor Of The Star:
I wonder If you could possibly tell your
readers why the Watergate management
will not refund money on tickets that cannot
be used by the purchaser? I realize that
the Watergate will sustain loss If they
refund money on tickets that have been
rained out, but there is no reason for re-