Medical Mistakes in the Military - Thesis Example

Topic:  Medical Mistakes in the Military Thesis ment Some of the plausible reasons for the high number of errors in the army medical services are related to the motivation and morale of the personnel as well as to their work schedules. A survey conducted in the United States found that the army doctors were the lowest paid when compared to the private doctors and even when compared to physicians working in prisons (Carrollo, 1997). In addition to the low compensation and hence low motivation, the army doctors are expected to perform under any conditions and often for long hours (Jadick and Hayden, 2008) and this places stress on their cognitive or mental abiilites (Philpott, 1998).

The Fres Vs United States decision of the Supreme Court hold that the United States government cannot be held liable for injuries incurred by members of the armed forces through the conduction of their service duties (Richards, 2005). This law has been used in several cases of negligence where the military medical services have been found to be negligent (The Feres case: 340 U.S. 135, 137, The Jefferson case: ? The Griggs case: 340 U.S. 135, 138), but the plaintiffs have not been allowed to sue the government owing to the Fres Doctrine.

This thesis therefore asserts that the lack of appropriate HRM policies and undue protection provided by the Fres Doctrine enhances the scope of medical mistakes to happen in the military.