Maintain pressure on reforms to protect NHSNurses back Afghanistan field hospitals treating Taleban and British soldiers together
British soldiers at Camp Bastion in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan have reportedly said they should not share wards in military hospitals with Taleban militants.
However the Ministry of Defence said it was common practice for patients to be treated in the same ward in military hospitals, regardless of their allegiance.
Peter Carter, general secretary of the RCN, said: ‘The reality is that it has been this way in the First World War, the Second World War, Vietnam.
‘To have a separate wards is frankly unrealistic, although you can understand how distressing it is.
‘But we don’t think it is realistic in battle conditions…there are no other alternatives.’
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Readers' comments (2)
Ruth Welsby | 23-Jan-2009 6:23 pm
If it was my son or my partner I would be devastated that my relative was not being given the respect he or she deserved. Convicts are not usually treated in an open ward so why oh why should our soldiers be treated with such a lack of respect. Yes we must treat these Taliban and give them the best care as human beings but not in the face of our solders that have been through hell and then expect them, whilst in pain, traumatisted and sometimes mutilated to be brave and welcome the enemy with open arms. For Gods sake were is the empathy and understanding of the average human being, don't you dare tell me they as soldiers should have to put up with this disgrace as the average person would go private if they could just to get away from having to share a ward with an average person let alone the enemy. Come on be reasonable, you may never ever be in their situation, but be honest would you really be happy waking up from the worst trauma in your life to see the person or persons who could have been responsible for both your physical and mental pain. No you would not, so support these soldiers give them the peace and privacy they deserve.
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Pat Huxtable | 23-Jan-2009 10:44 pm
Where pray are the Taliban Hospitals treating their own and our service personnel together??? Do they have such facilities? If so would they treat our service personnel as their own, I doubt it...
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