Mistreatment of US wounded by own hospital

[Always_a_Civvy]

It has been reported in today's FT (2 March 2007) that the Head of the Walter Reed Military Hospital has been sacked following an expose by the Washington Post of the living conditions wounded soliders were expected to endure, including vermin infested wards and has been denying some soldiers disabled in Iraq and Afganistan, disability denefits.

The real scandal underlying this is the revellation that the Head of the Hospital was warned about the unacceptability of these conditions as far back as 2003 yet nothing was done and no follow up checks appear to have been carried out.

 

[jungle_jim]

sounds just like selly oak

 

[nutty_bag]

sounds just like selly oak

Think you will find sellyoak is quite good, mainly because the consultants are civvies mate. I do have first hand experience of said establishment and people like Prof P are second to none. As i pointed out to wardmaster the other day, i'm not too enamoured about naval surgeons, to which he took offence and spat his dummy out the pram.

NB

 

[jungle_jim]

i have first hand also on medievac at selly oak, and yes i will say its not as bad, but it is FAR from good. i know i have experienced most of what was in the press. i.e remove you uniform as you might offend others in the hospital, well i would of had i had any clothes, forgive me for not having time to pack for my visit from iraq. watching others in the ward been spoken to like pieces of crap. not from the nurses, Dr or the welfare staff (they did a great job) but other inmates and the office workers in the military cell

 

[Bergen]

It has been reported in today's FT (2 March 2007) that the Head of the Walter Reed Military Hospital has been sacked following an expose by the Washington Post of the living conditions wounded soliders were expected to endure, including vermin infested wards and has been denying some soldiers disabled in Iraq and Afganistan, disability denefits.

The real scandal underlying this is the revellation that the Head of the Hospital was warned about the unacceptability of these conditions as far back as 2003 yet nothing was done and no follow up checks appear to have been carried out.

Quite right AAC. The entire situation is a little bizarre and I am having difficulty getting my head round some of it.

They have just sacked Maj-Gen George Weightman. The Walter Reed Hospital was part of his command but he had only had responsibility for it since August 2006. What is strange is that he has been replaced by Lt-Gen Kevin Kiley who was in direct command of Walter Reed Hospital up until the end of 2004 and who [presumably] had a greater responsibility for the state of the wards than anyone else.

Kiley was on the US news rubbishing the Washington Post and anyone else who criticised the state of the hospital and was trying to claim that everything was AOK [move along folks - nothing to see here]. In the middle of it all a HAZMAT clean-up team walked past in the background, fully booted and spurred, breathing apparatus - the full nine yards.

Some white paint had been slapped around and I just saw a funny headline that said "Whitewash at Walter Reed Not Quite Dry Yet".

Regards

RM

 

[wardmaster]

sounds just like selly oak

i'm not too enamoured about naval surgeons, to which he took offence and spat his dummy out the pram.

NB

Yes, I did take offence, on behalf of all the RN MOs I have known who have been among the finest of their profession and who I have been proud to serve with. And to whom the RN and RMs owe a great debt. Whoops! Spat the dummy again! :cry:

 

[nutty_bag]

i have first hand also on medievac at selly oak, and yes i will say its not as bad, but it is FAR from good. i know i have experienced most of what was in the press. i.e remove you uniform as you might offend others in the hospital, well i would of had i had any clothes, forgive me for not having time to pack for my visit from iraq. watching others in the ward been spoken to like pieces of crap. not from the nurses, Dr or the welfare staff (they did a great job) but other inmates and the office workers in the military cell

Junglie, i agree with you mate, my point was towards the good staff that operate out of sellyoak, not the way the wards are run etc., There was a recent incident where a patient on the ward abused a member of the armed forces. I feel therefore that it is a problem the MOD should deal with instead of using facilities that are already in place to save money.

NB

 

[slim]

Any medical treatment I required during my 22 years was carried out extremely professionally especially my hernia operation which Hasler sorted at short notice during my terminal leave.
We did then though have our own service hospitals and were not under the constraints of civilians

 

[nutty_bag]

Any medical treatment I required during my 22 years was carried out extremely professionally especially my hernia operation which Hasler sorted at short notice during my terminal leave.
We did then though have our own service hospitals and were not under the constraints of civilians

Thanks slim, that was my point exactly

NB

 

[Bergen]

It's just been announced that US Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey has tendered his resignation because of the growing Walter Reed scandal.

Good to see a politician fall on his sword for a change, but it makes me wonder what level of scandal a British politician would have to be mired in before he or she would even consider resignation.

RM

 

[andym]

regicide?

 

[NZ_Bootneck]

I do remember seeing a movie (TV perhaps) starring Ray Liotta as a Doc in a US Veterans Hospital in the 70's, had the usual based on a true story blurb, but the conditions were bad and patients mostly Vietnam vets were dying or relapsing due to lack of equipment,funds and low staffing levels. I may be slightly confused as it was one of those home from the pub is there owt on telly things.