Pages

Monday, September 17, 2012

Not enough military staff to fight PTSD for Canadian troops

Not enough military staff to fight PTSD among returning soldiers: ombudsman
MURRAY BREWSTER
The Canadian Press
Published Monday, Sep. 17 2012

The military ombudsman says National Defence has not hired enough psychiatrists and other mental-health professionals to deal with a cresting tide of post-traumatic stress cases.

Pierre Daigle released a report Monday that challenges many of the reassurances the Harper government has given about the treatment of soldiers returning from the Afghan war.

He said there is a big gap between what the system can deliver and what it actually does for troops who’ve witnessed horrors overseas, and for their families.

“This gap is primarily the result of a chronic inability to achieve, or come close to achieving, the established manning level of the mental-health function,” said the 99-page report, tabled Monday just as Parliament resumed after its summer recess.

It said this shortfall has a profound impact on the front line delivery of care, treatment and support to military members with post-traumatic stress disorder and other stress injuries and to their families.

In some instances, the system is operating with 15 to 22 per cent fewer caregivers than needed.
read more here

No comments:

Post a Comment

If it is not helpful, do not be hurtful. Spam removed so do not try putting up free ad.