1236 



out, "such individuals may remain employed in State hospitals in most 

 States on temporary permits." 



That It'MGs have a negative effect on the field of American psychia- 

 try seems fairly evident by the judgments of Dr. Torrey and Dr. Tay- 

 lor. As they told the Dallas meeting of the American Psychiatric Asso- 

 ciation : "Patients who cannot afford private psychiatric care are more 

 likely to be treated by foreign trained psychiatrists. The outcome is 

 poorer quality psychiatric care." ^^^ 



However, Mr. Caspar W. Weinberger, Secretary of Health, Educa- 

 tion and Welfare, would dispute this assessment by Drs. Torrey and 

 Taylor. In an appearance before the House Subcommittee on Public 

 Health and Environment of the Interstate and Foreign Commerce 

 Committee on March 1, 1973, Mr. Weinberger was questioned on the 

 qualifications of unlicensed FMGs who work in State mental hos- 

 pitals. He responded : 



. . . generally speaking and in view of the uniformity of qualification stand- 

 ards throughout the country, I would personally feel- that no foreign doctor is 

 going to treat patients unless he has the necessary qualifications and unless the 

 public is fully protected by having his services. I am not aware of any States 

 which allow untrained, unqualified people to work in their mental institutions. 

 If there are such States, I would certainly think the States would want to move 

 rapidly to correct it.^"" 



Special problems having potentially adverse effects on American 

 health care have arisen in the field of anesthesiology. This field has a 

 high concentration of FMGs. In December 1970, the AMA recorded a 

 total of 10,860 anesthesiologists. Canadian medical graduates practic- 

 ing in the United States were not included among FMGs in this AMA 

 tabulation. Of the total 10,860 anesthesiologists, 3,304 or 30.4 percent 

 were FlMGs. The tabulation was broken down to show the percentage 

 of FMGs within the various categories of activity, i.e., office-based 

 practice, hospital-based interns and residents, fulltime hospital staff, 

 and teaching and research. Of the total 7,379 anesthesiologists in office- 

 based practice, 1,697 or 23 percent were FMGs; of the 1,408 hospital- 

 based interns and residents, 744 or .52.8 percent were FMGs ; of the 

 1,326 serving as full-time hospital staff, 609 or 45.9 percent were FMGs ; 

 of the total 588 in teaching and research, 221 or 37.6 percent were 

 FMGs ; and, finally, of the total 159 cited as being in a category "other" 

 than those specifically designated, 33 or 20.8 percent were FMGs.''^ 



Illustrative of the type of problems that can arise in anesthesiology 

 were revealed in Ronald Kessler's article on the Washington Hospital 

 Center, A staff writer for The Washington Post^ Mr. Kessler wrote 

 a series of investigative articles on the Center in the fall of 1972, one 

 of which dealt with "Accidents in Anesthesia." Kessler explained the 

 function of the anesthesiologist and proceeded to record problems 



^9»The data In this section are drawn from a report in The Wa-thington Post of May 2, 

 1972, p. Al, by Stuart Auerbach entitled, "Alien Psychiatrists Hit as 'Cheap Labor' in 

 U.S.", and also from a more complete study by Dr. Torrey and Dr. Taylor appearing in 

 the April 1973 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry under the title, "Cheap Labor 

 from Poor Nations." Sen. Edmund S. IMusliie (D-Me.) inserted this article, along with 

 other material, in the Congressional Record, Feb. 7 1974, pp. S1468-1472, under the title, 

 "Our Dependence on Foreigu Trained Ph.ysicians : Is It Fair?" 



^^ Hearings, House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee, Overgight of HEW 

 Health Programs, 1973, p. 58. 



^8 Stevens and Vermeulen, op. cit., p 153. 



