1271 



order for which no cure exists and not as an acute disorder for which 

 a specific remedy exists." And he offers this encouragement : As with 

 many chronic disorders, "it is possible to take measures which permit 

 normal development and normal life." ^^^ 



The dilemma of inequality may, therefore, persist in the natural 

 order of life, but mediating certain "ciironic disorders," such as brain 

 drain, may not be entirely beyond the rational management of man. 



Remedies hy Diminishing the '"'"PulV Factors in Brain Drain 



Remedies for brain drain do not rest entirely upon the LDCs ; the 

 advanced countries, particularly the United States, can take some 

 measures to diminish the "pull" factors in .brain drain and lessen the 

 burden thrust upon the LDCs. 



EXPANSION OF AMERICAN MEDICAL SCHOOLS 



Medical brain drain offers a promising potential area for remedial 

 action. A decade ago when the problem was far less acute than it is 

 today, American students of brain drain and development specialists 

 strongly urged the United States to expand its medical school facili- 

 ties, and to train a sufficient number of doctors to meet present and fu- 

 ture manpower demands (the shortage is generally placed at about 

 50,000 doctors) . These two actions could go far toward ending Ameri- 

 can dependency on FMGs from the LDCs. 



699 



sss Hearings, Senate Judiciary Committee, International Migration of Talent and Skills, 

 1968, p. 80. 



B* Dr. G. Halsey Hunt testified before the House Government Operations Committee : 

 "The long-range solution of the brain drain problem In medicine will require the develop- 

 ment of new medical schools In the United States, and the enlarging of some of the present 

 schools, to provide a much greater output of U.S. physicians than we now have." (Hearings, 

 House, Government Operations Committee, Brain Drain, 1968, p. 68.) 



Dr. Charles C. Sprague told the same commJttee : "I do feel . . . that It should be our 

 national purpose to ultimately meet our own needs In terms of educating an adequate 

 number of physicians. Now, obviously, there is a transition period, but I do not feel that 

 we should look forever to the developing countries for a continuing source of manpower in 

 the physician field." (p. 63) In a list of recommendations for the Committee, Dr. Sprague 

 cited the following : "7. We must assume the responsibility for training sufficient kinds and 

 numbers of health personnel to answer the needs of our people and not rely on other 

 nations as we are presently doing." (p. 67.) 



Dr. Adams told the Committee: "... I think this Immigration of medical doctors 

 from abroad is a reflection of the fact that as a nation we have not produced enough 

 medical talent. The specific policy conclusions to be drawn from that is to increase the 

 number of American medical graduates. And that will automatically reduce the number of 

 people 'imported' from abroad." (p. 88.) 



Dr. Frankel told the Senate Judiciary Committee : "On our side, at home, we can take 

 action to train more Americans to fill the positions now filled by foreigners. An effort to 

 increase the number of United States medical schools, for example, would be the best long- 

 range approach to helping other countries retain the services of their own native physi- 

 cians." (Hearings, Senate, Judiciary Committee, International Migration of Talent and 

 Skills, 19QS. r>. 21.) . ^ .^ ^ ^ , .^ no ^ 



Finally, the House Government Operations Committee recommended In Its 23rd report 

 on "Scientific brain drain from the developing countries" : "To reduce with greater speed 

 the present growing dependence of the United States on foreign medical manpovjer — l)oth 

 practitioners and trainees — the committee urgently recommends further Federal and 

 private efforts to increase the output and efficient utilisation of U.S. physicians." (Report, 

 House, Government Operations Committee, Scientific Brain Drain from the LDCs, 1968, 



Prof Herbert Grubel made the following observation in the State Department workshop 

 on international migration : "I would like to make a suggestion on how to solve the problem 

 of foreign medical personnel coming to the United States, and that is that the American 

 Medical Association release some of the grip that it has on the quantity of students who 

 are being trained to enter the medical profession. I think that the Influence that the AMA 

 has had in this has been recognized widely." (Department of State, Proceedings of Work- 

 shop on the International Migration of Talent and Skills, 1968. p. 143.) _ 



The Hon. Paul H. Douglas, former U.S. Senator from Illinois, made a similar comment 

 in the Preface of the book "Brain drain" on the need to expand medical training facilities 

 as a remedy for medical brain drain : "The American Medical Association should cease Its 

 advocacv of excessively restrictive practices as regards entrance to the profession tnus 

 diminishing the numbers of doctors to be imported from abroad.' (Adams, Brain Drain, 

 p. xiii.) 



