CHARLESTON, S.C. - While the Medical University of South Carolina and the Veterans Administration are discussing a joint hospital, the university has no plans to take over veterans' medical care, MUSC President Raymond Greenberg says.

"It is our position that any deal that does not improve health care for veterans is not a good deal for anybody," Mr. Greenberg told a congressional subcommittee led by U.S. Rep. Henry Brown, R-S.C., on Monday.

The university has embarked on the $300 million first phase of building a new hospital. It has been talking with VA officials for years about building a joint hospital with the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in one of the future phases.

Mr. Brown and Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind., the chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, have said the idea could be copied elsewhere in the nation.

If a merger is workable, Mr. Brown would like a plan by November, so it can be included in a bill with construction recommendations for other VA hospitals around the nation.

Mr. Greenberg said a new hospital, in which the VA would have its own beds and the institutions would share other space, could be built in five years.

The cost is uncertain. The estimated cost of replacing the VA hospital itself is $185 million.

"The question that is most often asked of me by veterans and their dependents is simply, 'Will it remain a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital?' " said Clarence McGee, a former commander of the South Carolina Department of the American Legion. "Our local veterans are apprehensive that services will be reduced and health care needs unmet if the proposed merger takes place."

Veterans also are concerned about outpatient clinics, whether the VA would have a pharmacy and whether veterans or civilians would get priority for treatment.

Supporters say the joint facility would save money for the two hospitals.