December 15, 1976

Vietnamese Workers Party sec Le Duan outlines econ and pol plans; China delegation is absent, although party sends message extending warm fraternal greetings; diplomats express doubt that Chinese absence indicates strained relations, noting that China generally regards party congs as internal matters; cong opening conincides with arrival in Hanoi of 1st train from Saigon in more than 20 yrs; Pres Ton Duc Thang comments; illus (M)

Stanford Univ Center for Health Care Research study discloses that quality of hosp care varies so widely that surgery patient's chances of dying or suffering severe complications can be 2 1/2 times as great at 1 hosp as at another; shows that proportion of registered nurses on staff, amt hosp spends for each patient and care taken in awarding staff privileges to drs are most important hosp-related factors determining whether surgical patient lives or dies; studies were undertaken as result of Natl Halothane Study in late '60s, which revealed that 34 insts participating in evaluation of effects of anesthetic halothane had markedly different surgical death rates, even when differences in types of operations and characteristics of patients were taken into account; Stanford center dir William H Forrest Jr comments; study was funded by Natl Acad of Sciences-- Natl Research Council (M)

MTA proposes new package of cuts in subway and bus services to close $30-million 'anticipated budget shortfall'; plan detailed (M)

Saudi Arabian Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani urges 6-mo freeze on oil prices to give Western economies chance to build up momentum of recovery, OPEC meeting, Qatar; por (M)

Pres-elect Carter's expected apptmt of Jane Cahill Pfeiffer as Commerce Sec does not materialize; aides say Pfeiffer declined offer for personal reasons; delay in apptmt of Harold Brown as Defense Sec linked to mounting opposition to Brown on behalf of candidacy of former Defense Sec James R Schlesinger (M)