Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-11-01

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Industries. private foundations
and philanthropies would fur
Irish the rest.
The group declared there is
an imperative need for i'm
mediate and strenuous action
to train more doctors to keep
pace with an ever-expanding
population.
Expansion Urged
The report called for expand
ing existing schools-and build
ling 20 to "A new schools, some
of the four-year variety, some
in the two-year category.
In a report to Surgeon Gen.
eral Leroy Burney, prepared at
ibis request, the consultants
Isaid maintenance Of the pres
ent ratio of physicians to pop
Iulation is "a minimum essen
tial to protect the health of
the people of the United
Estates"
And just to achieve this, they
said, the number of physicians
graduated annually by schools
OF medicine and osteopathy
must be increased from the
present 7,400 a year to some
1000 by 1975-or an increase
of $500 graduates.
DR.. Burney. at a news con-
ference in connection with re-
lease of the report. said the
school construction and other
recommendations of the report
were fine ones and that he,
personally, is all for them.
But. he said, cit is not DOS
lsible at this time to indicate
the extent to which they can
be incorporated in department
proposals for the coming year."
Ask Prompt Action
The consultants told DR..
Burney:
1.-THE problem is Of such mag
lnitude and concern that Inn
mediate concerted action by
1.-THE Nation as q whole Is i'm.
operative.
Delay will serve only to in
Grease the seriousness Of the
Situation.
THE Nations physician sup
ply will continue to lag behind
the needs created by increasing
population unless the Govern
ment makes an emergency A.
nancial contribution on a
matching basis with States
and other groups) toward the
construction Of medical school
facilities. Only with such a
Federal stimulus will adequate
funds become available for
needed construction"
They urged the Surgeon Gen.
eral ito assist in every ap-
propriate way" to implement
their proposed program which
calls not only for the expan-
sion Of present medical schools
and the building of new ones,
but also for:
l. Increased support by pri-
vate and public agencies to
medical students in the form
OF scholarships and loans.
2. Increased financial support
for the basic operating budgets
OF medical schools.
3. More adequate and fiex-
ible Federal support for re-
search in medical schools.
4. Expansion of educational
capacity for dentists, nurses
and for the other health pro-
LESSONS.
Sums Not Listed
Specific sums for all these
recommendations were not
listed.
However, in a separate
statement on the problems of
dental education, the group
said:
Increases in dentist supply
have been tagging behind
population growth for more
than a quarter of a century,"
Saying that while the coun-
try now has nearly 100000
dentists, it will need $4,000 in
1875 just to meet population
expansion needs, the commit
tee said that for one thing, %
lnew dental schools costing 1882
million will be needed.
DR.. Burney was asked by q
reporter whether there is any
indication that Congress will
Iapprove such proposed Federal
aid for the construction of
medical schools. He replied he
couldn't say as to that, but
added:
I'm personally in accord
with the reports recommended
lions, including its legislative
proposals :. And we need early
action on this. We've had
enough studies. We need action
not only by the Federal Govern
ment but by other groups. .."
started Too Late"
DR.. Burney and other Health
Service officials indicated that
even If a new program of ex-
banding medical school facili-
ties gets underway, we've
started too late" to hope to
maintain the present ratio of
doctors to population without
some temporary drop.
He said that in past years