WASHINGTON, March 3: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates fired Army Secretary Francis Harvey on Friday as the Bush administration scrambled to respond to an outcry over poor treatment for veterans at the Army’s top hospital.

As the embarrassing controversy over care for soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan raged for a second week, Mr Gates said he thought the problems at the Walter Reed Army Medical Centre in Washington were related to leadership.

“I am disappointed that some in the Army have not adequately appreciated the seriousness of the situation pertaining to outpatient care at Walter Reed,” he said.

“Some have shown too much defensiveness and have not shown enough focus on digging into and addressing the problems.”—Reuters