“Unless the Defense Health Agency takes action to fix issues at military treatment facilities, problems could get worse and affect the overall condition, readiness, use and services provided to patients in the military community, according to a new report from the DoD Inspector General.”
“Delays in addressing the needs at those installations could worsen the overall condition of those MTFs, auditors stated. And some of the problems are imminent threats and should be fixed immediately, such as replacing an obsolete fire alarm system at the main hospital at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; and moving an inaccessible emergency oxygen shutoff value at Fort Riley’s Irwin Army Community Hospital, according to the July 10 report.”
“The audit, at 24 MTFs at six selected installations, was conducted to identify issues that the Defense Health Agency will have to deal with as it completes the current reform effort that moves control of MTFs from the services to DHA. That includes the responsibility of keeping MTFs in good working order — sustainment, restoration and modernization.”
“But in the bigger picture, officials need to fix the overall $14.8 billion in unfunded projects for the more than 576 DoD hospitals and clinics and 87 dental facilities worldwide that were reported in September 2019, the July 10 report stated. The fiscal 2019 budget for sustainment, restoration and modernization of these MTFs totaled $1.1 billion…” Read the full article here.
Source: DoD health officials must fix $15B worth of projects for military treatment facilities, IG says – By Karen Jowers, July 10, 2020. Military Times.
