The Department of Veteran’s Affairs has reported that more doctors trained in women’s care are needed at Veteran’s Administration (VA) facilities across the country as the number of women in the military rapidly increases.

Women comprise 14% of military

According to Yahoo News, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080613/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/women_veterans, women comprise nearly 14% of the U.S. Armed Forces. In fact, Yahoo reports that of the 1.7 million troops who have deployed in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 190,000 — or about 11 percent — are women. Unfortunately, the VA’s women’s services doesn’t seem to have kept pace with the increase of women now in the military.

Complaints

The VA report shows that women have complained about the lack of services that the VA offers including medical care specifically concerned with women’s health issues such as mammograms, a lack of doctors specifically trained in women’s healthcare and a general lack of facility services such as separate changing rooms. Although the VA has said that it is addressing these issues, the lack of proper medical care for women could have disastrous results – as the families of those who recently died in VA hospitals in Illinois can attest to.

Only a few months ago, the VA reported that doctors at a VA hospital in Marion, Illinois provided substandard care that may have led to 19 patient deaths. That report came after two investigations of continuing problems at the facility. Unfortunately, substandard care is not limited to that facility.

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VA medical negligence

According to Joe Callahan, a Virginia attorney and retired naval officer who represents injured veterans and military dependants in medical malpractice claims against the Veterans’ Administration, his firm sees veterans who have suffered a wide range of injuries due to medical negligence at VA hospitals. Some of those include long-term failure to effectively follow up on sarcoidosis (a disease that results from a specific type of inflammation of tissues of the body) with regular screening and surveillance x-rays, near-fatal over medications during inpatient stays and nerve injury during blood draw.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of malpractice at a VA medical facility, contact an attorney whose practice focuses in this area of law. Consultations are free, without obligation and are strictly confidential. To contact a qualified attorney please click here. We may be able to help.