DOI: https://doi.org/10.25040/medicallaw2016.01.034

Med. pravo., 2016; 1(17): 34-49

UDC: 347.1

RADYSH YAROSLAV FEDOROVYCH

doctor of science in public administration, professor of the Department of Health Care Management, National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine

SOKOLOVA OLGA MYKOLAIVNA

PhD candidate of the Department of the Department of Health Care Management, National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine, head of the Treatment and diagnostics center of Pirogov clinical military sanatorium, city of Saky, Autonomous Republic of Crimea

Adaptation of the military men in the NATO countries, Defense forces of Israel and Armed Forces of Arab Republic of Egypt

The authors present a general overview of approaches to the adaptation of soldiers of the leading NATO countries (USA, UK, France, Germany, Poland, Turkey), the Israel Defense Forces and the Egyptian Armed Forces.

Article mainly focuses on the experience of mentioned foreign countries in resolving the rehabilitation problems of soldiers incurred a disability during a period of war or in an area of armed conflict, or while participating in combat operations. The experience in rehabilitation of relatives and family members of military personnel participated in combat operations is described too.

In the paper, a wide range of public authorities whose activities are connected with the U.S. military, especially the rehabilitation of soldiers and their relatives, is elucidated. Further, the article offers a general analysis of the military transition assistance programs that provide service members with resources for life after the military. The authors point out, that among other things the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs conduct work on establishing rehabilitation centers, where veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental illnesses related to military service can be provided with assistance.

In addition, article offers a general analysis of the military transition assistance program in the United Kingdom and main characteristics of psychosocial services for soldiers, their relatives and family members in Germany.

The authors underline that psychosocial services are important not because of the specialists but joint work with other non-governmental organizations, federal, state, and local government officials, garrison commanders, employment centers, international organizations etc. As the experience of Germany shows, these psychosocial services provide significant assistance to soldiers and their families in searching correct and good decisions, getting support at any level and on any issues from treatment to placing children into pre-school and school educational institutions. The centers provide practical and emotional support in getting help with social benefits and social security matters; assistance in employment in case of dismissal from armed forces; getting all kinds of benefits available to military personnel who participated in combat operations. The authors emphasize that because of the centers soldiers, their relatives and family members do not waste time searching for appropriate institutions within a political system dedicated to help them. Such system of institutions has been proven successfully. Furthermore, it is constantly being improved and expanded.

The authors also reveal the experience of France in the protection of the interests of military personnel; describe the practice patterns of government agencies on this issue and various special programs for the military and veterans. The authors believe that one of the factors of successful adaptation and rehabilitation of military personnel involved in military operations in France is providing soldiers with social protection, for example raising wages, assistance in employment to their family members, assistance in renting or buying a house etc.

Article also offers a general analysis of Polish military law. The authors drew their special attention to the combat stress treatment.

The experience of Turkey, Israel and Egypt, where special attention is drawn to the implementation of rehabilitation programs for soldiers, is also described.

For example, in Turkey, there were established two centers in the Gülhane Military Medical Academy – the Turkish Armed Forces Rehabilitation Center and the Center on Psychiatric Rehabilitation – in order to organize the physical therapy services for soldiers, social and psychiatric rehabilitation of those who participated in combat operations or were wounded, relatives and family members of military personnel. As the authors note, the main task of these centers is to return mentally healthy and socially appropriate citizens back into society and to protect society from uncontrollable aggression and militancy.

At the same time, the authors note that in some countries, for example, in the Arab Republic of Egypt, effective measures for organizing the physical therapy services for soldiers, their social and psychiatric rehabilitation etc. are not performed. The main attention is paid only to persons who were injured by providing them with physical assistance and/or assistance on materials problems.

What’s more important, the authors point out the irreconcilable discrepancy existing between organizational forms of rehabilitation of soldiers and the fulfillment of the modern requirements due to the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation; the need to improve the provision of medical services to military and veterans; the contradiction between the existing requirements for health care management and promising management models for the Ukrainian unified medical space; the need to bring the needs of military personnel and veterans of the Armed Forces of Ukraine regarding the provision of medical services to the real possibilities of providing a national health care system for them; the lack of highly skilled military physicians and surgeons, psychologists, rehabilitators, combat paramedics, nurses due to liquidation of departments of military training in most Ukrainian medical universities; a large reduction in interest of the Ministry of Healthcare of Ukraine and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine in scientific developments of national researchers in the field of military medicine.

The authors also argue that the overview of approaches to the adaptation of soldiers of the leading NATO countries, the Israel Defense Forces and the Egyptian Armed Forces gives grounds to state that positive experience of foreign countries in resolving the rehabilitation problems of soldiers incurred a disability during a period of war or in an area of armed conflict, or while participating in combat operations and successful results of rehabilitation of relatives and family members of military personnel who participated in combat operations can be used in the development of common strategy for social and psychological adaptation of Ukrainians in the current situation.

Different approaches to adaptation of the military men in leading countries of NATO Defense forces of Israel and Armed Forces, Arab Republic of Egypt are analyzed. Attention is paid to the experience of foreign countries in solving the issue of rehabilitation of the military men, who were injured during the warfare. Experience of rehabilitation of the family members of the military men, who took part in the warfare, is described.

Bodies of state power, which are engaged to work with the military men in the USA, the content of the transitional program of aiding the military men, who are resigned from Armed Forces. A program for the military men in Great Britain and peculiarities of functioning of the psychosocial service of Germany are analyzed. The experience of France in protecting the interests of the military men is elucidated, in particular the activity of the High committee of guardianship of conditions of military service and adaptation program of the military men. The laws, which regulate the rights of the military men in Poland, are analyzed. Focus is made on the peculiarities of treatment of the painful stress are made. Interesting seems to be the experience of Turkey, Israel and Egypt, where great attention is paid to fulfillment of the rehabilitation programs of the military men.

Key words: military men, warfare, rehabilitation, relatives and family members of the military men, peacekeeping operations, foreign experience.      

Reference list

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