The Union of Peacekeepers would be ready to take responsibility for the rehabilitation of volunteers who fought in Ukraine.
The rehabilitation of Finnish volunteers fighting in Ukraine is currently a question mark for Finnish healthcare.
Soldiers sent by the Finnish state, who have served in official crisis management tasks, are entitled to state-supported rehabilitative activities. Volunteer soldiers are excluded from this assistance.
The Union of Peacekeepers knows the field of rehabilitation of people traumatized in war. The union’s veterans’ peer support lines are open to everyone. Emergency responders know how to forward assistance to the public sector, but they cannot give volunteers more help than that.
– The unfortunate side of the Ukraine issue is that since the individuals are voluntary fighters and not sent by the Finnish government, the rules of the foundations that finance the activities of our union put an obstacle in front, says the chairman of the Peacekeepers’ Association Jorma Ala-Sankila for STT.
There are approximately a few dozen Finnish volunteers in Ukraine. According to Ala-Sankila, the Rauhanturvaajaliito has nothing against them taking over the volunteers’ affairs as well, as the group is reasonably small.
– We just can’t suddenly put together a Ukraine rehabilitation group, even though it could be a very good idea, because the rules of our funding state exactly what type of people the service is aimed at.
The union is waiting for the state’s decision
According to Ala-Sankila, the state should make a decision on whether to exceptionally give some kind of veteran status to the volunteers in the situation in Ukraine, so that they would be eligible for aid. However, he has a question about the functionality of granting veteran status: Should a volunteer who has been to any country automatically have veteran status in the name of equality?
– Yes, my sympathies are with Ukraine precisely because of this issue and situation. If the state made a decision that they would be entitled to that support, then yes, we would be able to arrange it, says Ala-Sankila.
In the new government program, a position has been taken on support measures for crisis management veterans, and the aim is to strengthen them to match other Nordic arrangements. A national crisis management veteran center is included in the government program, where the current services would be gathered together. There has been no discussion or decision on granting exceptional veteran status to volunteers.
STT did not reach the Minister of Defense Antti from Häkkä to comment on the matter.