Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 50: To ask the Minister for Defence his views on claims made by the president of PDFORRA that medical services within the Defence Forces are totally inadequate; if his attention has been drawn to claims made at the PDFORRA conference that members of the Defence Forces must use their own money to pay for medical treatments to protect their careers and contracts; his plans to address inadequate medical services for the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31993/05]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

As part of the modernisation agenda agreed under Sustaining Progress a review, involving the representative associations, of the provision of medical services in the Defence Forces has been ongoing. This review has dealt with, among other things, the level of services to be provided to members of the Defence Forces and the resources required for the delivery of that service. This review, which is being implemented on a phased basis, will be concluded by mid-2006. It has already delivered significant improvements in the delivery of medical services in the Defence Forces. As part of the change process a revised concept document on the provision of medical services and a patient's charter are being prepared at present. As a result of changes in this area there will be a greater emphasis on the direct provision of medical services, improvements through computerisation in the maintenance and tracking of patients records and on treatment.

The military medical services and their facilities exist primarily to maintain the health of Defence Forces personnel and to support them in operational and overseas activities. Medical treatment of military personnel is carried out as far as possible in a military hospital or other medical facility under the auspices of the Army Medical Corps. If the necessary treatment is outside the scope of the Army Medical Corps, then non-commissioned personnel, including recruits, are referred for treatment under the public health service. Such personnel, in common with all citizens, are eligible for treatment as public patients in public hospitals or to avail of private health care if they so choose. Where Medical Corps doctors are not available, suitable local arrangements are made with civilian medical practitioners to ensure that the appropriate level of professional care is available to members of the Defence Forces. In the event of an injury attributable to service or illness occurring to a recruit and when the public health services required are not available in sufficient time to provide the treatment necessary to allow the recruit to achieve the medical classification code required for final approval, financial sanction may be given for private treatment. Such sanction will be contingent on the recruit being likely to achieve the necessary medical classification code in sufficient time for final approval. Decisions are made on the individual particulars of each case based on the opinion of the relevant military medical authorities. In these circumstances the question of military personnel paying directly for medical services should not arise.