Mar 31, 2015

Half of Kiev’s New Conscripts Unfit, Mental Issues Top List

Mental problems have rendered one third of Kiev’s fourth wave of mobilized soldiers unfit for military service, Ukrainian politician and medic Olga Bohomolec has revealed. More than half of the new recruits don’t measure up as potential defenders of their country, Kiev-based Solydarnist outlet reports.

Bohomolec, a popular MP from the Poroshenko Bloc is chairman of the Committee on Public Health. She referred to official data of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

According to documents provided in response to a request by the MP, out of 117,044 people who submitted to exams by military-medical commissions during the fourth wave of mobilization, only 52,962 have been declared fit for duty.

A undisputed leader among the “Lysistrata ailments” plaguing would-be soldiers is mental illness – 32%. Cardiovascular disease runs a close second- 31.1 percent. Third come nervous system problems – 22.7%. Injuries and wounds follow with 10%, while digestive conditions debilitate only 4.2% of the prospective anti-terrorist heros.

Dr. Olga

In Bohomolec’s words, this level of mental illness raises serious concern and requires scrutiny and control. In particular, information needs to be confirmed from psychiatric hospitals where these people were or are being treated at the moment in order to avoid abuses at the military-medical commissions.

One major reason for the failure of the fourth recruitment wave, compulsive jogging, was not mentioned in Dr. Olga’s statement, due to the obvious reasons, that the thousands affected did not undergo exams by military physicians.

In general, the high sickness incidence among the country’s male population of working age is a major concern and requires increased attention by the government and deputies to the level of health services in Ukraine and the resources that are allocated to it, concludes Bogomolec, as reported by Solydarnist.

Olga Bohomolec is no stranger to controversy. She reportedly confirmed allegations that Maidan protestors have been shot by snipers from opposition-controlled buildings.

Later she vehemently denied saying anything to this effect, but many believe she was forced to change her story under duress.