Evening star., 1950-03-15
Staff
Cites Shortage
0flabWorkers
Budget Hearing Told
Patients Go Without
Even Routine Tests

Even Routine Tests
"Ridiculius" inadequacies in
laboratory services were cited to-
day by Gallinger Hospital doctors,
who told a Senate subcommittee
student doctors are having to do
the work of laboratory techni-
clans.
DR.. Joseph Fazekas, medical
director. discussed the problem in
asking a Senate Appropriations
Subcommittee handling the $119
million 1851 city budget for money
to hire the needed laboratory
workers during the next fiscal
year.
About 16 more will be needed
to staff the hospitals new lab
oratory, he said, and to carry out
even routine diagnostic studies
on a 24-hour-a-day basis. He
also asked for a pathologist. Resi-
dent doctors from the city's med
ical schools take tissues back to
their own schools for study at
present. DR.. Fazekas said, leaving
the hospital without needed in
formation about patients who die
there.
Never Knew Cause of Death.
I'VE never know, frankly, what
our patients die FROM" he told the
committee. That's very bad med
icine." We can't even have clini-
cal pathological conferences at
the hospital, despite the fact that
we have more deaths than any
hospital in the city"
DR.. Fazekas said he has seen
patients discharged from the hos
pital in the past without even
routine blood and urine tests that
every patient should have" Doc
tors in resident training at the
hospital now are doing some Of
the testing during hours when
regular workers are off duty,
however. he added.
Chairman Hill said his Subcom-
mittee intends to finish heading
requests of department heads at
its next session Friday. On Sat-
urday, he said, it will begin to
hear outside witnesses.
DR.. Fazekas and DR.. P. A. E.
Stebbins, Gallinger superintend-
'ent. stressed that Gallinger's main
project next year will be to i'm
prove service in it's laboratory,
X-ray and anesthesia depart
mentS.
School Dental Work Stressed.
Eearlier, Health Officer Daniel
l.. Seckinger stressed the impor-
tance of a proposal to offer So
dium fluoride treatments to half
the city's school children next
year to prevent dental decay.
He said about 10000 children
up to the age of 13 should get
the treatments, given at three
year intervals. The department
proposes next year to form teams
one for white and one for col
ored schools to do half the job.
He asked for dental personnel
who, he said. could treat $4,000
children each year. Over a
three-year period, about half the
5000 children would be treated, he
explained.
DR.. A. Harry Ostrow, the de-
partment's dental chief, said the
program would be offered in
schools in every area of the city.
Studies, he added, indicate the
treatment reduces dental decay by
as much as 40 per cent.
New Library Site Discussed.
Proposals that the District give
Serious study" to a new site for
the Central Library and Admin
istration Building were advanced
yesterday by Senator Hill.
crat. of Alabama, subcommittee
head.
He made the suggestion after
city officials had explained the
first unit of the new Central Lii
brary project, at 499 Pennsylvania
avenue NV, still is used mostly
by Federal agencies, although it
was built 10 years ago at a cost
of $1,118.000.
An added push toward a new
Central Library project came in
testimony by District Auditor
Arthur r. Pilkerton that for the
last two years the United States
has been paying the District moth
ing for its use of the major space
in the new building.
Should Sell Building to u. S.
why would it not be better" "
Senator Hill suggested. "for the
District to sell this property to the
United States and to have the Dis
trict go out and find an entirely
new place for its new Central
Library project?"
Library officials voiced quick ap-
proval. Both Albert w. Atwood,
chairman of the Board of Library
Trustees, and Harry N. Peterson,
public librarian, said they thought
this was a good idea"
In other discussions late yester-
day, Chairman Hill looked kindly
on the request of Police Supt.
Robert j. Barrett to add A men to
it's force.
IT am one Of those" he said,
who believe that you ought to
have all you need"
Senator Hill asked Maj. Barrett
to submit priority list on the A
extra positions. just in case the
subcommittee could not approve
all of them.
Maj. Barrett said, IT wouldn' I
know which ones to pick. need
them all. They all have Al prior
! ity." Senator Hill did not press
u