§ Mrs. Ann Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has concerning the numbers of members of families of British forces personnel in Germany who were given medical treatment in each of the last five years as (a) inpatients and (b) outpatients.
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§ Mr. LeeThe numbers, in thousands, of service dependants treated in British service hospitals in Germany for the years 1979 to 1983 incusive are as follows:
Inpatients (new cases) Outpatients (new cases) 1979 18.1 27.8 1980 19.1 26.2 1981 18.9 26.3 1982 18.4 29.3 1983 17.9 29.8
§ Mrs. Ann Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the total expenditure on health care provision for the families of British forces personnel in Germany in each of the last seven years for which figures are available.
§ Mr. LeeOutturn figures of medical expenditure are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate effort. Estimated provision in 1983–84 for armed forces medical services in Germany amounted to some £39.2 million. Provision for 1984–85, also at 1983–84 prices, is about £39.8 million. These figures cover all medical services for both service personnel and their dependants. It is not possible to provide separate expenditure on health care provision for dependants only.
§ Mrs. Ann Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many doctors have served the families of British forces personnel in West Germany in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
§ Mr. LeeThe numbers of Ministry of Defence employed medical officers serving in Germany at 31 March for the years 1982 to 1984 were as follows:
Number 1982 245 1983 242 1984 240 Figures for earlier years are not readily available. Most medical officers treat both service personnel and dependants.
§ Mrs. Ann Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the total number of deaths of members of the families of British forces personnel in West Germany in each of the last five years; and if he will give a comparison of the rates per thousand population of such deaths with the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. LeeThe number of deaths of members of the families of British forces personnel in West Germany in each of the last five years is as follows:
Number 1979 106 1980 101 1981 103 1982 93 1983 89 Information is not readily available on comparative family mortality rates.
§ Mrs. Ann Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has concerning the number of home visits made by British medical staff to the homes of the families of British forces personnel in Germany in recent years.
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§ Mr. LeeThe number of such visits is not recorded centrally.
The value of home visits is well recognised and service dependants are eligible to receive such visits. The responsibility for deciding for or against a visit lies with the medical officer, who must balance the advantages of a visit against such factors as: the loss of time to treat other patients; his availability to cover emergencies; the better facilities at the medical centre for further examination and treatment; and transport facilities for patients to the medical centre for those patients unable to attend by their own means.