|
Peter
Viggers, MP for the Gosport constituency, has supported the
Shadow Health Minister, Dr Liam Fox MP, following his statement
about the position of Defence Medical Services.
Dr
Fox said, "I am profoundly concerned about the deficiency
of doctors, nurses and other staff in Defence Medical Services.
There is an overall shortfall in manning, but the situation
is most serious in the key specialties of general surgery,
orthopaedic surgery, general medicine and anaesthetics, with
alarming shortfalls against establishment ranging up to three-quarters.
For example, there are 18 General Surgeons when there should
be 44, and 23 Anaesthetists when there should be 120.
"It
is quite clear that the policy assumed by the Labour Government
in the Strategic Defence Review has failed. This involved
the closure of the Royal Hospital Haslar, which is the only
remaining Ministry of Defence hospital, and the creation elsewhere
(later identified in Birmingham) of a so-called Centre of
Defence Medicine.
"We
believe that the situation is far too serious for the present
strategy to remain unchallenged. On behalf of the Conservative
Party, I commit that an incoming Conservative Government will
review all aspects of the operation of Defence Medical Services,
including the closure of the Royal Hospital Haslar. Out determination
is to ensure that the men and women of our armed forces have
the very best support in all their activities, and for this
a
well-trained and motivated Defence Medical Service is essential."
The
statement follows a visit Peter arranged to Haslar for Dr
Fox in 2002 and subsequent discussions between the Shadow
Minister and the Gosport MP.
|
