ZAGREB, Sept 9 (Hina) - Croatian War Veterans' Affairs Minister Ivica Pancic not once, in any of his statements, said that veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) should have their driving licences taken away
from them, the ministry said on Tuesday in response to statements made by representatives of the Alliance of associations of war veterans suffering from PTSD.
ZAGREB, Sept 9 (Hina) - Croatian War Veterans' Affairs Minister
Ivica Pancic not once, in any of his statements, said that veterans
suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) should have
their driving licences taken away from them, the ministry said on
Tuesday in response to statements made by representatives of the
Alliance of associations of war veterans suffering from PTSD. #L#
The ministry claims it is not clear how medical commissions could
proclaim someone ill yet that same person could later be claimed fit
to be issued with a driver's licence or gun licence.
The ministry notes that of 10,000 veterans who were given the status
disabled war veterans on the basis of PTSD, 3,000 have gun
licences.
It is necessary to come up with clear guidelines for medical
commissions when determining who is entitled to what, the ministry
said, concluding that it was absolutely vital that medical
commissions worked according to the same criteria, and that this
had nothing to do with announcements that driver's licences would
be confiscated.
The aforementioned Alliance requested the government and war
veterans' affairs ministry today to stop persecuting veterans
suffering from PTSD, particularly by depriving them of their
driver's licences.
These veterans consider Minister Pancic's directives to medical
commissions to review the issuance of driver's licences to PTSD
sufferers as discriminatory and shameful, the president of the
Alliance, Dubravko Svedrec, said.
He demanded the government issue a public statement about just how
many road accidents were caused by such veterans.
He noted that Pancic and that government had been persecuting
Croatian generals, invalids and ill veterans for four years now.
Blazenka Gogic, a former assistant to the minister, once again
called on the government to stop new actions against sick veterans
and to first investigate whether or not it will support any new
regulations.
She recalled that six months ago, she sent Premier Ivica Racan a
letter cautioning about the wrong policy towards veterans, but that
there was no reply.
(hina) sp ha