No draft for doctors, Pentagon says

The AMA has been reassured that there is no need for any call-up of additional medical personnel.

By Damon Adams, AMNews staff. Nov. 8, 2004.

Physicians don't need to worry about being drafted. The military health system is ready and capable of handling a national emergency, according to a Pentagon official.

"We have incredible capacity, so we don't see the need for any call-up of additional medical personnel," said William Winkenwerder Jr., MD, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.

Dr. Winkenwerder made the statement to reporters in response to an Oct. 19 article in The New York Times reporting that the Selective Service System had updated its contingency plans for a draft of civilian health care workers. A 1987 law requires the plan.

The article said the Selective Service would deliver 36,000 health care specialists to the U.S. Dept. of Defense if and when a special-skills draft was activated.

But Dr. Winkenwerder said the military has 130,000 full-time physicians, nurses, medics and other health workers. Thousands more are in the reserves, he said.

"The military health system today is working remarkably well. It would perform very effectively in the event of a national catastrophic event, even a large one," Dr. Winkenwerder said.

Selective Service spokesman Richard Flahavan said the contingency plans get updated periodically.