Better Planning and Funding Approach Needed for Military Medical Facilities Construction and Modernization Projects in Germany
HRD-82-130
Published: Sep 30, 1982. Publicly Released: Sep 30, 1982.
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Highlights
GAO reported on the condition of military medical facilities in Europe as well as plans for their renovation and replacement.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the Secretaries of the Army and the Air Force to coordinate medical construction programs for Germany with a view toward joint utilization of facilities where possible. |
Although DOD has a process for determining the feasibility of consolidating medical facilities, none of the facilities identified as having potential have been consolidated.
|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should develop: (1) a method to more accurately estimate the amount of maintenance and repair costs to ensure that Congress is made aware of the total project funding requirements; and (2) a funding approach for future medical facility modernization projects which will ensure that required operations and maintenance funding will be available throughout the project. |
The Army believes that this recommendation places an untenable burden on the limited military construction dollars and serves to reward inattention or poor maintenance over time. GAO still believes that a different funding approach is needing to ensure that required operations and maintenance funding is available throughout the period when facilities are being modernized.
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| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should give high priority to completion of the Resource Distribution Study so that it can be used in the 7th Military Command's Health Facility Modernization Program. The Secretary should ensure that the study: (1) examines ways to compile detailed data on the condition of Army medical facilities in Europe; (2) develops an evaluation criterion for proposed projects which considers the medical needs of the community, the conditions of facilities, and efficient distribution of Command resources; and (3) evaluates consolidation opportunities for clinics discussed in this report and other clinics located near each other or hospitals. |
The Army did not implement two of the three actions recommended in this recommendation. These actions are evaluation criterion development and evaluating consolidation opportunities. Regarding the evaluation criterion development, Army believes that such determination can be made through examination of workload data, time study, facility utilization and other surveys.
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Topics
Armed forces abroadGovernment facility constructionHealth care costsMilitary cost controlMilitary hospitalsMilitary forcesConstructionMedical facilitiesMaintenanceHospitals