Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

The military authorities have reported that the numbers of personnel discharged from the Permanent Defence Force on medical grounds in each year since and including 2008 are as follows: in 2008 some 19 enlisted personnel were discharged; in 2009, two officers and 42 enlisted personnel were discharged; in 2010, one officer and 33 enlisted personnel were discharged; and to date in 2011, one officer and 24 personnel were discharged. The figures I have provided for enlisted personnel also include any recruits or cadets that may have been medically discharged during each of the years.

The maintenance of a cadre of personnel capable of meeting the physical demands of a career in the Defence Forces is a key human resources requirement. The medical classification of all personnel is kept under review and where it is confirmed as being unfit for service with the Defence Forces, action is initiated towards retirement, relinquishment of commission or discharge, as the case may be.

In the context of the roles assigned by Government to the Defence Forces, military medical services and facilities exist to maintain the health of Defence Forces members and to support them in their operational and overseas activities. In this regard the focus of the military medical services is on primary care, occupational medicine, acute trauma management, preventative medical programmes and field medical training.

Serving members of the Permanent Defence Force, PDF, are provided with free medical treatment within military medical facilities by Defence Forces medical officers. While medical facilities are available within the Defence Forces, the Defence Forces are dependent on public health care facilities for the provision of higher-level hospital inpatient services for its members. Costs incurred in accessing such external medical services are met from the Department of Defence Vote. The services of civilian general practitioners are engaged to provide primary care when medical officers are not available.

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