Soldiers returning from the conflict in Iraq are to be tested for signs of
mental or physical illness, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.
Veterans’ minister Lewis Moonie said face-to-face interviews would be
conducted with a sample of 50 soldiers as soon as possible after their
post-operational leave.
These will lead to the development of a post-conflict medical questionnaire,
drawn up by King’s College, London, which will aim to seek information about
the physical and psychological health of the soldiers.
It will then be issued to a representative group of soldiers, MoD personnel,
aid workers, embedded journalists and others who were deployed, as well as a
non-deployed comparison group.
Once analysed, further clinical investigations will be carried out as and
where necessary, said Moonie.
All service personnel and MoD civilians who were deployed will also be
offered a medical assessment programme at St Thomas’s Hospital in London on
referral by their doctor.
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