Washington

Tommy Thompson wants to see a more unified structure.

Tommy Thompson, the US health secretary, is under heavy fire this week for his far-reaching plan to streamline public and Congressional relations at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other parts of his sprawling department.

Thompson wants enquiries to all parts of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and all the institutes of the NIH — to pass through new, centralized departments under his control.

Health-department officials say that the reorganization will help them to present clearer, more coherent messages on crucial science and health matters. “We've been working since we got here to try to create a more unified department and a more responsive structure,” says Kevin Keane, assistant secretary for public affairs at the HHS.

But supporters of the various agencies are deeply concerned that the change would damage the institutes' credibility with the public and Congress. “Information from the NIH has been highly valued for many years because it is viewed as a bipartisan institution with no political agenda,” says Harold Varmus, former director of the NIH .

The restructuring is expected to form part of the budget proposal for the 2003 fiscal year, which will be sent to Congress by President Bush in early February. Strong objections are expected, and Congressional staff are already on the attack. “We need free and unfettered access to the various agencies,” says one Democrat aide in the Senate.

Earlier efforts by Thompson to direct press and public enquiries through his office caused problems last autumn, when CDC and NIH officials were told to steer questions on anthrax through it. As a result, critics claim, the public did not receive accurate and timely information during a series of anthrax attacks.

But Keane claims that fears over restricted access to scientific information are unfounded. “We're just trying to handle communications efficiently so there will be a clear place to turn to for what people need, and a clearer answer coming back,” he says.