Press Release, Special Message to the Congress on the Nation's Health Needs

HOLD FOR RELEASE HOLD FOR RELEASE HOLD FOR RELEASE April 22, 1949 CONFIDENTIAL: To be held in STRICT CONFIDENCE and no portion, synopsis or intimation to be given out or pub- lished until the READING of the President's Message has 286-A begun in either the Senate or House of Representatives. Extreme care must therefore bé exercised to avoid premature publication. CHARLES G. ROSS Secretary to the President TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES: TRUMAR MATIONAL In a special message to the Congress on November 19, ARCHIVES AND RECORDS 1945, and in a number of messages since that date, I have recom- SERVICE mended the enactment of comprehensive legislation to improve the health of our people. The iesues involved in these recommendations have been debated all over the country -- in Congressional hearings, in medical societies, and in public forums. Out of all this discus- sion has come a large measure of agreement. There has been increasing recognition of the need for positive, planned action to bring adequate health services within the reach of al our people. With respect to most of my recommendations, there is no longer any substantial difference of opinion. Legislation has already been enacted which is holping sub- stantially to provide better health services and medical care. For example, Federal funds are now being made available to help in building badly needed hospitals. The Federal Government's programs of medical research have been expanded. Additional grants have been made available to the States to aid in establishing and maintaining public health services. However, the action thus far taken falls far short of our goal of adequate medical care for all our citizens. If we are to deal with the problem realistically and in its true dimensions, action is required on a broader scale. We are in an era of startling medical progress. The technical resources available to the physician are tremendously greater than a generation ago. But to make these resources effective, he must use much more complicated, more exact equipment. He must turn to special- ized laboratories and technicians for help. He must apply new tech- niques and must secure more effective drugs and appliances. As a Nation we have not yet succeeded in making the benefits of these scientific advances available to all thoso who need them. The best hospitals, the finest research laboratories, and the most skillful physicians are of no value to those who cannot obtain their services. Now that we have the medical knowledge that can bring good health within our reach to a degree heretofore undreamed of, we must improve the means for putting that knowledge to practical use. Good health is the foundation of a nation's strength. It is also the foundation upon which a better standard of living can be built for individuals. To see that our people actually enjoy the good health that medical science knows how to provide is one of the great chal- lenges to our democracy. Our objective must be two-fold: to make available renough medical services to go around, and to see that everybody has a chance to obtain those services. We cannot attain one part of that objective unless we attain the other as well. Our needs are plain. We are, and shall be for some time, short of physicians, dentists, nurses, medical technicians and public First copy filed PP71-F (OVER)