Defence Staff: Not enough surgeons signing up for peacekeeping duty
|
|
Recruitment of surgeons for the European Union peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo is causing considerable difficulties for Finland. One of two vacancies for surgeons for the mission remained open on Thursday.
Lieutenant-Colonel Hannu Ojala of the International Section of the Defence Staff said that nurses were easy to come by, but that the recruitment of doctors for peacekeeping missions is sometimes difficult.
Finland is taking part in a European Union mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo to monitor the parliamentary elections taking place in late July. About 3,000 peacekeepers from EU countries will take part in the operation. Twelve of them are from Finland, including three staff officers and medical personnel. The operation is estimated to last four months.
Medical colonel Heikki Laapio from the Defence Staff says that recruiting doctors for peacekeeping missions is difficult today. This is a universal problem. The situation has been the same in all peacekeeping missions Finland has taken part in during the past few years.
The United States have also had trouble getting doctors to come to Iraq.
At least one reason for the doctors’ reluctance, according to Laapio, is money. The Defence Staff will not disclose what they offer surgeons for taking part in the operation. Nobody can be forced to participate, so the pay is good, Laapio states.
The German commander of the operation has said that he will not go to Congo without a sufficient surgical staff. Efficient medical care is considered essential. Studies show that having to wait over an hour for treatment leads to a sharp increase in patient mortality.
There are already about 17,000 UN peacekeepers in the civil war-ridden Congo, a country with a population of 56 million. The most recent bad news is that 100 people are believed to have died of pneumonic plague, and that there have also been cases of the dreaded bubonic plague.
Helsingin Sanomat
|
| 16.6.2006 - TODAY |
 Defence Staff: Not enough surgeons signing up for peacekeeping duty
|
|
