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MWD-75-58 1 (1975-02-11)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaaaug0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 00 LEA COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES 71 t5 WASHINGTON, D.C. 20548 B-182297 FEB 11 1975 The Honorable William Proxmire Chairman, Subcommittee on Housing and Urban Development, Space, Science, and Veterans Committee on Appropriations United States Senate Dear Mr. Chairman: Your September 19, 1974, letter requested that we examine and report on conditions at the Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH), Quezon City, Republic of the Philippines. In a letter to you, Mr. Leonard Hall, Commander of American Legion Post 4, Olongapo City, Republic of the Philippines, made allegations concerning poor sanitary conditions, poor food quality, and too many in- terns giving medical treatment at VMH. VMH is a 750-bed hospital owned and operated by the Republic of the Philippines. In 1948 the United States gave the Republic about $9 million to construct and equip VMH. The hospital was turned over to the Republic in 1955. Since then, the United States has paid most of the operating and maintenance costs through annual grants. In fiscal year 1975, $2.05 million was appropriated for these purposes. The grant program is ad- ministered by the Outpatient Clinic of the Veterans Administra-, -T tion (VA) Regional Office, Manila. We found no apparent unsanitary conditions at VMH. We did find some problems affecting patient comfort, such as food being served cold. There was no evidence that medical care is being overly entrusted to interns. Although VMH has signifi- cantly more interns than comparably sized VA hospitals in the United States, it has a comparable number of physicians and nurses. In our opinion, differences between customs and practices in Philippine hospitals and those in U.S. hospitals are a major cause of the American veterans' complaints. For example, Phil- ippine hospital patients normally have a visitor at all times to attend to their needs, keep food in their night stands, and have a diet consisting essentially of fish and rice. Moreover, VMH provides, at Republic expense, pediatric, gynecological, MWD-75-58 III0