THOUSANDS of doctors and nurses will be drawn out of the NHS and into the armed forces if Britain goes to war with Iraq, Richmond Park MP Jenny Tonge warned this week.
The Liberal Democrat MP has expressed her fears over the possible effects on local NHS services of a call-up of reservists.
There are currently 3,500 trained medical staff in the Royal Naval Reserve, the Army Medical Services, The Territorial Army and the Royal Auxiliary Air Force.
Dr Tonge said: "Three thousand five hundred 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.
"I am particularly angry that I was misled about this by the armed forces minister Adam Ingram MP.
"In a letter to me dated December 17th, he said there were no plans to call up reservists.
"Less than three weeks later, the Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon announced a call up."
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