An article in Iltalehti reports that conscripts and their relatives in Finland are raising serious concerns about the handling of respiratory infections in garrisons, with several saying that sick servicemen were told to return from leave despite high fevers and were left without timely treatment. The report describes cases of prolonged illness, one of them ending in hospitalization for pneumonia, and another in the interruption of military service and an unwanted shift into civilian service. Relatives also warn that illness and disrupted service may now delay university studies and employment. The Finnish Defence Forces acknowledge that garrison clinics have been congested in recent weeks due to an unusually severe infection season, but maintain that resources remain sufficient and that sick and healthy conscripts should be separated where possible.

Very harsh criticism of the Defence Forces is also given by a young man serving in another large garrison, who has been ill for about a month. He says that he did not receive proper treatment for a serious respiratory infection, and was only granted partial exemptions from service. “Because the garrison hospital is closed on weekends, I did not get exemptions and could not rest. I am practically bedridden. (…) It is absolutely shameless, unfair and, in my opinion, terrible lying that the health of conscripts is supposedly put first,””

You can read the full article here.