Exchange of war cripples between member countries of the Council of Europe with a view to medical treatment

Recommendation 65 (1954)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

(see Doe. 283Doe. 283, Report of the Committee on Social Questions). This Recommendation was adopted by the Assembly at its 27th Sitting, on 23rd September, 1954

The Assembly,

Considering the improvement of therapeutic methods to be an important aspect of social progress, the furtherance of which among the member countries is mentioned in the Preamble and Article 1 of the Statute as one of the primary aims of the Council of Europe ;

Having regard to the principle of equal social and médical treatment for nationals of member countries, which has inspired the signature of the Intérim Agreements on Social Security and the European Convention on Social and Médical Assistance ;

Responding to suggestions in the field of médical assistance put forward by the Governments of certain member countries and repeated in the Message of the Committee of Ministers transmitting the Programme of Work of the Council to the Assembly ;

Desirous of ensuring that all available therapeutic methods in any member country may be placed at the disposal of any European ex-Serviceman disabled by war, and hoping therefore that the European nations will introduce a System of mutual exchanges, covering not only the disabled persons themselves but also technical methods and médical personnel ;

Developing the conclusions of the Brussels Treaty War Pensions Committee, which noted that some countries had evolved specialised forms of treatment for certain types of particularly serious disablement and expressed the hope that such treatment might, in exceptional cases, be placed at the disposal of ex-Servicemen belonging to any of the five signatory countries of the Brussels Treaty ;

Considering that such a System of exchanges would be of great assistance in promoting a spirit of solidarity and European fellowship ;

Recommends that the Committee of Ministers prepare, in co-operation with the International Labour Organisation and other international organisations concerned, and submit to the Member States of the Council of Europe for ratification, a Convention for the exchange of certain of their nationals disabled by war, with the object of placing at the disposal of particularly serious cases of disablement specialised forms of treatment and rehabilitation perfected by one or other of the fîfteen member countries.

Such exchanges would be based on the following principles :

a They would be restricted to cases which could only be treated with difficulty or with partial success in the country of origin.

b They would be available not only to those who were actual military casualties but also to civilian sufferers, so that the scheme would apply comprehensively to all military personnel, prisoners of war, deportees, internees, political prisoners, members of resistance movements, victims of bombardement or other act of war, or of accidents caused by occupying forces, persons compelled to wor as civilian auxiliaries, etc.

c Unless otherwise laid down, the cost of treatment would be borne by the country of origin.

Furthermore, the Convention would embody an undertaking by the Contracting Parties to carry out a regular exchange of information on questions of common interest connected with the medical treatment of the disabled.

Finally, arrangements would be made for an exchange of medical personnel, with the object introducing new methods in ail the participating countries and thus progressively reducing the need for exchanges of patients.