Defence forces medical staff have strongly criticised the conditions at the central medical unit at the Curragh in Co Kildare.
At their representative association's annual conference today, they called on the Department of Defence to address as a matter of urgency, the dilapidation of the buildings and working conditions within the medical department.
They are also seeking additional staff to meet what they say are operational commitments and sustain a functioning unit.
Medical staff working there say some of the buildings, particularly those used for medical instruction and the 24-hour duty ambulance crew are antiquated and in very poor condition.
Delegates at the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association (PDFORRA) annual conference today, spoke of paint peeling off walls, musty floors and pools of stagnant water in or near areas used for medical instruction.
They are calling on the Department of Defence to urgently act on what they describe as the dilapidation and poor working conditions within the medical unit.
They also say there are staff shortages in the unit, particularly when emergency medical technicians go on training course or overseas service, and they say they need a staffing levels that can meet operational requirements and sustain functioning medical unit.
Sailors on rescue missions challenge pay structure
The association which represents soldiers, sailors and aircrew also said naval personnel rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean Sea are not being paid allowances they are due.
PDFORRA said sailors are getting paid €250 a week less than their colleagues in the army on UN duty in Lebanon and the Golan Heights.
The Department of Defence has said the 'Armed Peace Support Allowance' does not apply to the naval mission because there is no armed threat to the personnel involved.
Addressing the PDFORRA annual conference this afternoon, Minister for Defence Simon Coveney said he was open to paying naval service personnel additional allowances for rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.
Mr Coveney said the issue is being dealt with at arbitration and if it is decided the money is owed, it will be paid.
He also said an audit was being carried out to see if former army barracks could be used to house refugees before moving on to more permanent accommodation.
The Naval Service has so far rescued more than 7,000 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea, but the sailors say they are not being paid the allowances they are due.
Even though they are on a humanitarian mission, the Defence Forces representative association points out that the three vessels are warships with armouries, the personnel on board are armed and there have been occasions where people have been detained and traffickers have been handed over to the Italian authorities.
PDFORRA said, however, that unlike soldiers in the Lebanon or the Golan Heights, the sailors in the Mediterranean are not receiving the armed allowance, which adds up to a loss of €3,000 tax free over a 12-week mission.
PDFORA Deputy General Secretary has said that members in the naval service should not be any less valued.
Ger Guinan told RTÉ’s Drivetime that it is a matter of equity and there are direct comparisons to be made between roles undertaken by those serving in the Mediterranean and personnel overseas in the Lebanon.
He said that when refugees are being taken on board in the Mediterranean, members are armed and are on a heightened state of alert, with their weapons loaded and ready to engage.
