The Nation - News from July 10, 1985

Military personnel should not be given the right to sue military doctors for malpractice because that would only lead to discipline problems and cost money, the Reagan Administration told Congress. Instead, recent scandals involving botched medical cases should spur the Pentagon to improve the care it grants military personnel, Pentagon and Justice Department officials said. They opposed a bill that would permit active duty personnel to file malpractice suits. Currently, retired personnel and dependents can sue; active duty military people cannot.