Evening star., 1949-03-06
Hoover Board
To Ask Unified
Medical Agency
Would Combine Most
Federal Hospitals and
Health Services
By JONES Y. Newton

ing of the Governments vast IA
cilities for medical care. public
health and medical research un-
der a new and independent
agency, the United Medical Ad-
ministration.
Integral parts Of the new agency
would be nearly all hospitals of
the Army, Navy and Air Force; all
veterans hospitals and medical
facilities; the Public Health Serv-
ice, its 26 hospitals and other
facilities.
The report of the Hoover group
on reorganization Of health and
medical care agencies will be made
public probably within a week.
FSA Faces Cuts.
While the commission on one
hand would create a new Gov
ernment department of welfare
and education. it would on the
other cut deeper into the domain
of Oscar Ewing's Federal Agency
by taking away the Public Health
Service. In another report to be
released soon, the commission
would transfer from FSA to the
Labor Department several bureaus
including administering unem-
ployment compensation and the
United States Employment Serv-
ice.
Although Mr.. Ewing has been
leading the battle for a greatly
expanded public health program,
the commission would place ad-
ministration of whatever Congress
approves in the way of q new pro-
gram In the hands Of the new
United Medical Administration.
All military hospitals would be
transferred to the agency except
overseas and remote station es-
tablishments and a single research
and training center to each of
the three armed services. The
Army would retain Walter Reed,
the Navy Bethesda, while the Air
Force would have center not yet
designated.
Would Shift Elizabeth's.
OF further interest locally, the
commission says that st. Eliza
beth's Hospital should either be
turned over to the District or
transferred from Federal Security
to the new setup.
Soldiers Home here would be
retained by the Army. The Navy
would keep the Naval Home in
Philadelphia.
The old other exceptions to the
amalgamation of Government
health and medical facilities would
be the few establishments of the
Bureau Of Indian Affairs, Bureau
of Prisoners. Tennessee Valley
Authority and the Atomic Energy
Commission.
The decision to recommend
creation of an independent agency
reversed the earlier suggestion of
a commission task force which
held all of the facilities should
be combined in National Bureau
of Health and placed in the pro-
jected Department of Welfare.
Personnel Undisturbed.
Present administration of the
facilities so far as personnel is
concerned would be left undis-
turbed.
The commission found great
waste and duplication in the ad-
ministration of the medical serv-
ices and said that untold millions
could be saved the taxpayers by
the merger. It was said that much
in the way of dollar savings and
efficiency could be achieved by
improved cooperation between
Government and private facilities
and trained personnel.
1t was found that about 81 2,O0O.-
100000 is being spent in the cur
rent fiscal year by the Government
for medical care and health, 10
times the amount of 1910 and
$75O,O0O, 900 over last year.
AS an example of waste and
improper use of facilities. the COM
mission said that on last June
80 only $4,000 of the Govern
ment's total of 255,000 hospital
beds were occupied. At the same
time, private hospitals were, and
still are, overcrowded.
The commission said that al
though the Veterans Administra-
ton does not have the personnel
to operate all of its existing facili-
ties it nevertheless Is going right
ahead with a large program OF
expansion.