It was really bureaucratic red tape and government infighting surrounding a private contract which caused the problems.

WASHINGTON - An Army contract to privatize maintenance at Walter Reed Medical Center was delayed more than three years amid bureaucratic bickering and legal squabbles that led to staff shortages and a hospital in disarray just as the number of severely wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan was rising rapidly.

Documents from the investigative and auditing arm of Congress map a trail of bid, rebid, protests and appeals between 2003, when Walter Reed was first selected for outsourcing, and 2006, when a five-year, $120 million contract was finally awarded.

The disputes involved hospital management, the Pentagon, Congress and IAP Worldwide Services Inc., a company with powerful political connections and the only private bidder to handle maintenance, security, public works and management of military personnel. . . .

IAP finally got the job in November 2006, but further delays caused by the Army and Congress delayed work until Feb. 4, two weeks before the Post series and two years after the number of patients at the hospital hit a record 900.

When I’ve posted on the Walter Reed fiasco in the past I suggested that it was an example of how badly government can screw up just about anything, and a cautionary tale for those who support putting the government in charge of health care.  My posts were met with indignant aspersions from socialized medicine supporters who told me that the real problem at Walter Reed was privatization, but clearly this article demonstrates that claim as being false.

The problem with Walter Reed is that it is run by bureaucrats, and bureaucrats are incapable of running anything efficiently.