From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Health and defense ministries establish committee to improve mental health support for war-wounded, bereaved families
Renee Ghert-Zand is the health reporter and a feature writer for The Times of Israel.
The Health Ministry and Defense Ministry appoint a joint committee to work on better meeting the mental health needs of the war-wounded and bereaved families.
The committee will work to improve the availability and quality of mental healthcare services, including hospitalization when needed, through better cooperation between the defense establishment and the civilian system.
According to government statistics, 6,800 wounded military personnel have been treated by the rehabilitation arm of the Defense Ministry since October 7, with 21 percent of them suffering from mental health injuries. These individuals join the 11,000 war veterans dealing with mental health problems because of previous conflicts, including 8,000 with post-traumatic stress disorder.
