Charlee Doom, a former USAID worker, faced significant challenges when her pregnant wife experienced life-threatening complications during their time in Bangkok. Despite being entitled to medical evacuations, the couple's requests were denied twice due to budget cuts by the U.S. State Department. In her account, Doom revealed that her wife became the first in 61 years of USAID history to be refused such an evacuation. Political support from senators, including Mitch McConnell, was sought but ultimately insufficient. The situation led to a difficult recovery period for Doom's wife, underscoring the need for policy reforms in emergency medical support for service members' families.
Doom expressed, "My wife was the first person that I have been able to find in the entire 61-year history of USAID that was denied an obstetric medical evacuation, which is a standard right of all foreign service officers and their families."
Doom mentioned, "Unfortunately, it didn't happen in time, and my wife did hemorrhage, and then spent seven weeks on bed rest in between hospitals and at home."
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