U.S. has Contingency Plans for a Draft of Medical Workers
Tuesday, October 19, 2004 at 06:17AM
TheSpook
The Selective Service has been updating its contingency plans for
a draft of doctors, nurses and other health care workers in case of a
national emergency that overwhelms the military's medical corps. In a
confidential report this summer, a contractor hired by the agency
described how such a draft might work, how to secure compliance and how
to mold public opinion and communicate with health care professionals,
whose lives could be disrupted. On the one hand, the report said, the
Selective Service System should establish contacts in advance with
medical societies, hospitals, schools of medicine and nursing, managed
care organizations, rural health care providers and the editors of
medical journals and trade publications. On the other hand, it said,
such contacts must be limited, low key and discreet because "overtures
from Selective Service to the medical community will be seen as
precursors to a draft," and that could alarm the public. In this
election year, the report said, "very few ideas or activities are
viewed without some degree of cynicism." [more]
Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
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