WILL OUR NHS STAFF HAVE TO GO TO WAR?

12.00.00am GMT Wed 15th Jan 2003

Jenny Tonge, Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park, has expressed deep concern over the possible effects on local NHS services of a call-up of Reservists to fight George Bush's war against Saddam Hussein.

If the war goes forward, at least 3,500 staff could be drawn out of the NHS over the country as a whole.

That's the number of trained medical staff in the Royal Naval Reserve, the Army Medical Services, the Territorial Army and the Royal Auxiliary Air Force.

Dr Tonge said: "3,500 is the number of trained doctors and nurses in the reserves of the armed forces. But the real scandal is that the Ministry of Defence and the NHS do not know how many personnel with reserve liability there are in the NHS and therefore what the impact of a call-up might be."

"Kingston Hospital does know – it will lose three consultants – but nationwide, we have no idea how many trained medical personnel will be sucked out of the NHS if we go to war in Iraq – and no way of finding out," the MP said."

"I am particulary angry that I was misled about this by the Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram MP. In a letter to me dated December 17, he said there were no plans to call up Reservists. Less than three weeks later, the Defence Sercretary Geoff Hoon announced a call-up."