Gulf War Syndrome Now Top Priority
Armed Forces Minister John Reid has announced a new action plan to tackle
the problems of Gulf War related illnesses. In a sharp about turn
new resources are to be allocated to the current medical assessment programme and further research.
"We have an obligation to investigate sympathetically and
thoroughly any illness suffered by those who have served their country and to
provide all the resources necessary to treat them" he said.
Whitehall initially denied that Gulf war syndrome existed but now its investigation is a priority of the new Defence team. However there are no plans to offer compensation to veterans.
Ministers are also to look into how previous ministers, including ex-Armed Forces Minister, Nicholas Soames, were misled over the use of pesticides during the Gulf War.
New measures will include examining the possible side-effects of the combination of vaccinations and drugs taken by service personnel as protection against attack by chemical and biological weapons during the war with Iraq.
Veterans are to be invited into the Ministry of
Defence to meet ministers and discuss the crisis and Dr Reid has pledged to be "open and honest" in his dealings with them.
"The veterans have every right to expect us to give urgent
attention to their concerns. And we intend to address those concerns...that is the debt of honour that our Government owes to those who serve our
country," he said.
In addition, a series of research programmes have been launched to compare the health of Gulf War veterans with that of military personnel who were not involved in the conflict.
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