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

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                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


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