A national health manpower policy should provide a sense of direction for those engaged in preparing the practitioners of the future. (HS)

Five interweaving themes are discussed: the meaning of graduate education; who should control specialization; the role of residents in filling hospital needs; whether graduate medical education is a university responsibility; and how far the distribution of residencies should match perceived manpower needs. (LBH)

The medical school-hospital relationship is examined in terms of graduate medical education, primary care initiatives, classification of patients, financing house staff, hospital referrals, and planning constraints. (LBH)

Recent activities of the General Accounting Office (GAO) related to the allocation of medical resources and services are reviewed. Focus is on the evaluation of programs designed to increase public access to quality health care and to contain health care costs. GAO supervision of grant monies designated for medical research is also discussed. (JMD)