The mental hospital at Mande-ville may be without enough doctors to care for its patients by Wednesday.
Contracts for 10 parttime psychiatrists expire Tuesday. One of the psychiatrists said Monday he will not be back.
"And I am afraid that six others will not renew," said Dr. Anthony Rousos, acting clinical director of the hospital.
"One of the parttime psychiatrists resigned today. He objected to the present arrangement."
Dr. Rousos referred to the shakeup at the Southeast Louisiana State hospital, where Gov. Earl K. Long was a patient briefly last week.
IN CHARGE OPPOSED
Long ordered the hospital board of the state to fire Dr. Charles Belcher, acting superintendent at the hospital, and Jesse H. Bankston, state hospital director.
In Dr. Belcher's place, the hospital board named Dr. Jesse Mc-Clendon, a 72-year-old general practitioner from Amite.
Dr. Rousos said Monday:
"I plan to do all that I can during this emergency, but I don't intend to stay on under the present situation of having a general practitioner in charge of the mental hospital.
"Dr. Elizabeth Faust feels the same way I do. If I quit, she said she will quit." UNEASY' ABOUT CONDITION
Dr. Faust is the only other full-time psychiatrist at the mental hospital at this time, said Dr. Rousos.
Dr. Rousos said that two
Doctors
other full-time psychiatrists and 'our resident doctors are due to join the hospital staff in July.
"One has arrived on the grounds, and he feels mighty uneasy about the situation," said ;he clinical director.
Dr. Rousos said that under ;he present arrangement, he doesn't think the hospital could be accredited.
In Chicago, Dr. Kenneth C. Babcock pointed out that the Mandeville hospital has been non-accredited since 1954. REASONS INDICATED
Dr. Babcock is chairman of the national commission which, investigates hospitals for accreditation. He indicated that political interference with an institution's operation and lack of qualified staff members are reasons for refusing accreditation.
Dr. Babcock said that the Mandeville hospital had requested a survey from the national commission in January of 1959.
"We wrote them and said we would be there in February to make the survey," said Dr. Babcock. "But they wrote us back and asked us to withdraw and cancel the survey since they weren't ready yet. They»have not been examined."
Charles Rosenblum, who succeeds the ousted Bankston, Monday took over as hospital direc-j tor. The Hammond merchant j said he will issue a detailed! statement in the near future
