Towards a framework for military health ethics: a CMVH think tank
The Centre for Military and Veterans’ Health (CMVH) is an academic centre jointly funded by the Department
of Defence (Health Services) and the Department of Veteran’ Affairs (DVA). The broad aim of CMVH Think Tanks is to identify and design opportunities to address health and performance related issues within the military and veterans’ community.
Military health practitioners (doctors, nurses, medics and others) work in complex cultural environments where the traditional values of the health profession may come into conflict with operational military commanders with whom they operate and support and which are often further complicated by joint operations with international partnerships (allies). Specific recent global and national events have raised the issue of military health ethics for the Australian
Defence Health Services (DHS).
In October 2006 CMVH invited key leaders from Defence Health, Defence Command, Veterans Affairs and other key stakeholders to identify: – health ethics issues in the military which cannot be controlled through policy development and implementation by DHS alone; – options for a conceptual framework for health ethics for consideration by Defence overall (ie not just DHS); – examples of best practice in military health ethics at the organizational level.
The Think Tank’s task was not to determine policy, but rather create a conversation around military health ethical issues such that it could provide an input to policy.
This presentation will address the main outcomes of the Think Tank and the areas identified for future deliberations.
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