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The bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report, released Friday, criticized the CIA for treating patients with a mysterious illness known as “Havana Syndrome,” stating that “many individuals face obstacles in obtaining adequate and timely care.” “.
The report identifies 11 recommendations that the CIA should implement to address key concerns such as the lack of “clear, documented policies, guidance, and standards for how AHI (abnormal health incident) reporters should be referred to facilitated treatment programs.” Recommendations also include developing written policies for Medicare and benefits programs associated with AHIs, conducting a comprehensive organizational assessment of the CIA’s response to AHIs, and reestablishing a standardized post-AHI evaluation for all AHI reporters who request it.
Examples of inadequate care described in the report include patients who “experienced delayed, denied, or preconditioned care,” including “long wait times to access affordable treatment options; were denied affordable care by the CIA’s Care Arbitration Board; They understood that their access to affordable medical care was conditional on their willingness to participate in a clinical research study conducted by the National Institutes of Health.
A CIA spokesperson told CNN that during the periods covered by the report, the agency worked to understand the problem and investigate “the potential for foreign actors to harm U.S. government employees and their families.”
“In that environment, supporting our officers and their families has required us to dynamically adapt our programs and operations to changing needs and circumstances. Whether, in hindsight, we could have done better is something others must evaluate, but our commitment to ensuring our officers and their families have For the care they need he has never wavered, stressing that the agency has “nothing greater responsibility than caring for the health and safety of our people.”
The mysterious illness first appeared in late 2016, when a group of diplomats stationed in the Cuban capital, Havana, began reporting symptoms consistent with head trauma, including dizziness and severe headaches.
In subsequent years, cases have been reported around the world, including clusters of at least 60 incidents in Bogotá, Colombia, and Vienna, Austria. Last year, about 1,500 cases were reported across the U.S. government in 96 different counties, but the number of reported incidents has dropped significantly in recent years, officials said.
One problem facing the medical community is that there is still no clear definition of Havana Syndrome, which the government refers to as “anomalous health incidents.” These tests are done, in some cases, long after symptoms begin, making it difficult to physically understand what happened.
The disease and its cause remained frustratingly mysterious to both the intelligence community and the medical community.
Despite long-standing speculation that the disease may be the result of a targeted campaign by an enemy of the United States, the US intelligence community said last year that it could not link any cases to a foreign adversary, ruling out that unexplained illness was known. The result of a targeted campaign by an enemy of the United States. However, the Senate report recommends that the US intelligence community continue research, as “there remain many unanswered questions about these incidents in light of the information and research gaps.”
“The Intelligence Committee must remain objective and must continue to actively collect intelligence: conduct analysis and pursue information that can shed light on AHI reports in general and emerging foreign adversary technologies, including directed energy weapons in particular.”
“Furthermore, U.S. adversaries are likely developing directed energy technologies that may plausibly explain some of the reported symptoms associated with AHLS,” the report states.
The report also condemns the CIA’s halting of clinical research on Havana Syndrome while the Pentagon’s research efforts continue.
“The CIA has discontinued its internal clinical research efforts related to AHIs. Specifically, the agency stopped promoting basic pre-AHI medical evaluations in December 2021 and stopped conducting post-AHI medical evaluations in January 2022. As a result, the CIA may miss Central is important clinical data that can enhance understanding of AHIs.
The committee also warns of the risks posed by the CIA’s unwillingness to respond quickly. “However, the committee appreciates that CIA may not be well positioned to respond to future AHI reports and facilitate prompt, accessible, high-quality medical care for those who need it, particularly in the case of another AHI population.”
Additionally, the report presents three recommendations for Congress to consider, including codification of two Federal Employees’ Compensation Act bulletins related to AHI-related claims and an amendment to the Extended Care Program.
The findings are “based largely on testimonial evidence provided by CIA officials, other U.S. government officials, medical professionals who provided care to AHI correspondents as part of the Medicare Affordable Care Program, and AHI correspondents.”
