The Defense Forces admit that the measures taken to prevent the spread of diseases have not necessarily been enough and that there are too few healthcare personnel.
During the summer and early fall, especially adenovirus, but also other diseases that cause respiratory tract infections have spread in the garrisons. In the Kainuu brigade in Kajaani, the virus epidemic is estimated to have sickened more than 2,500 people. Kainuu Brigade / Defense Forces
Five MPs from different parties demand that the government take action to guarantee adequate and appropriate health care for conscripts in the garrisons. In addition, they ask whether seriously ill conscripts could stay at home to care for their parents with a lower threshold than the current one.
The background of the written question submitted to the Parliament is the respiratory infections that have become a bad epidemic in several garrisons and the deficiencies in health care that have been revealed as a result. Recently, the situation of the Kainuu brigade, where the vast majority of the summer arrival batch has fallen ill, has been widely discussed in the public. In the Kainuu brigade and several other garrisons, the adenovirus in particular has spread this year. The latest information about the spread of various infections was provided on Monday by the Ilmasotakoulu operating in Jyväskylä’s Tikkakoski.
– In the cases presented in the media this year, the parents of conscripts have told about worrying shortcomings in the care of conscripts in the family. Conscripts have had to wait for treatment even during a serious illness for an unreasonably long time, states the press release sent by MPs about the question.
A written question about the quality and availability of health care for conscripts has been submitted to parliament by members of parliament Terhi Koulumies (kok), Arja Juvonen (ps), Hanna Kosonen (center), Aki Linden (sd) me Eva Biaudet (r). Among them, Kosonen, Linden and Biaudet are former ministers, and Linden and Biaudet served as Minister of Family and Basic Services. Linden is also a doctor by training and has been the director of both the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (Hus) and the Varsinais-Finland Hospital District.
For example, the Union of Servicemen has recently demanded more health care personnel in the garrisons, so that basic health care can be secured in all situations.
– The virus epidemics have highlighted the lack of resources in the health care of the garrisons, the MPs state.
They point out that conscripts are Finland’s key asset in defense and it is an obligation to take special care of their health and well-being. According to them, this is also a matter of honor for Finland.
– Conscripts have a statutory right to appropriate health care during their service, Koulumies says in the release.
“You could be overwhelmed”
The Defense Forces announced the challenges faced in the garrisons in combating various respiratory infections on the same day that the MPs said they had submitted a question to the Parliament on the subject. Defense forces
The MPs submitted their written question to the parliament last Friday. On the same day, the Defense Forces also publicly admitted that its health care resources have not necessarily been sufficient in the treatment of respiratory infections in recent weeks.
– Due to the infectiousness and incubation times of diseases, despite the measures put in place, there have been a lot of sick people in proportion to the number of conscripts, for example in the Kainuu brigade. Due to the currently large number of sick people, the receptions at the health stations of the garrisons may have been overloaded, states the press release published by the Defense Forces.
According to the Defense Forces, the problems affecting society as a whole regarding the adequacy of healthcare personnel are also reflected in the garrisons.
– But we are actively working to recruit personnel and improve the situation, the announcement states.
According to the Defense Forces, several different diseases causing respiratory tract infection symptoms have occurred in the garrisons during the fall, such as adenovirus and, among others, mycoplasma, corona and whooping cough.
– In contrast to the usual adenovirus epidemics, it has caused strong symptoms and hospitalization for some of the conscripts, it is reported about the adenovirus caught in the conscripts.
“They spread easily”
Numerous parents of sick conscripts have criticized the Defense Forces, for example, for not isolating the sick from the healthy in the garrisons, for not taking care of the sick enough, and also for why the seriously ill are not allowed to stay at home to be sick.
The defense forces admit that garrison conditions pose challenges for the spread of various diseases. Because of this, measures familiar from the corona era have been introduced in some military units to prevent infections.
– Infectious diseases, which also include adenovirus, spread easily in garrison conditions, where conscripts stay in multi-person cabins and have a lot of contact with each other during training and in their free time.
These include enhanced hand hygiene, the use of face masks, more efficient cleaning, the establishment of rest wards for the sick and the division of conscripts into different wards to prevent the spread of infections. Actions also include limiting vacations and days off if necessary, as well as active information.
– The Defense Forces will continue to monitor the situation and adapt its operations as necessary to ensure the health safety of conscripts and personnel, the release states.
#MPs #demand #health #conscripts #care
