SICK AND WOUNDED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24715, 18 September 1941, Page 8

SICK AND WOUNDED

INFORMATION SYSTEM DIFFICULTIES STRESSED RELATIVES REASSURED (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 17. "Everything possible is being done to obtain exact information about the sick and wounded New Zealand soldiers on active service overseas," said the Minister of Defence, Mr F. Jones, to-day. "It has to be realised that war conditions create abnormal difficulties. Sometimes keen efforts to secure particulars are frustrated. " Requests have been made to me by relatives and various organisations interested in the welfare of our soldiers that the Government should arrange for the issue at regular short intervals of reports showing the progress towards recovery of each soldier concerned. • It would be very satisfactory indeed if such information could be obtained and distributed, but inquiry discloses the fact that to collect hospital particulars about every, soldier patient overseas would throw an inordinate amount of work on the hospital staffs, who are already heavily overworked. Practice in Serious Cases

"The position is different in regard t<i serious cases. Information about these is cabled to New Zealand as quickly as possible by headquarters of the'2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force in Egypt. The advice is immediately passed on by Base Records to the soldier's next-of-kin. Such is the practice in respect of every case in which the patient is suffering from a major disability, as well as in every case classified as seriously or dangerously ill. Further than that; immediately, a patient is removed from the seriously ill or dangerously ill list Base Records is advised by cablegram, and again the advice is forthwith conveyed to the relatives. In all other cases complete arrangements exist by which the men themselves may despatch advice by air mail letter cards to their relatives. "Under the prevailing conditions it would be unreasonable to ask the overworked staffs of the New Zealand military hospitals in Egypt to furnish detailed progress reports about every patient undergoing treatment for sickness or wounds. Many ailments give no cause for anxiety, and where relatives receive no official information they can rest assured that there is no cause for alarm.

Amplification Possible "It will be appreciated that in the recent actions in Greece and Crete circumstances existed by reason of which the reports of casualties in the early stages could not be amplified at once. It is quite possible that as soon as practicable the nature of the wound suffered in each case, with any other information available (such as admission to hospital) will be communicated to us. There are several other factors that may intervene, such as cable, air, and surface mail delays, and losses by enemy action, which may prevent amplified reports reaching us. These should be given full consideration by the organisations pressing for more detailed information.

"The Government realises to the full and greatly sympathises with the desires of anxious relatives of sick and wounded soldiers," Mr Jones concluded. "While wishing that it were possible to supply the fullest details, it regrets that we must accept with such fortitude as we may possess the limitations that active service imposes on the hospital and records staffs serving in the theatres of war."