National Service Medical Examination

Now NS trainees have to undergo a compulsory medical examination. This, according to the Director General of the National Service Training Programme is to prevent medical mishaps among trainees.

The logic involved in the medical service is mind boggling. Assumed there are 140,000 trainees divide into 87 camps, each camp will hold average 1600 trainees. The question arises to its effectiveness in the medical screening, since screening is done in the camp by the medical officers. A cursory medical examination will not detect any medical condition in the trainees. The quality on effectiveness comes into question.

Death due to mishaps including accidents and medical conditions will occur in a big batch of trainees. Now will a medical examination by a medical officer in the camp detect any conditions and hence prevent any unfortunate casualty?

The answer, I am afraid is unlikely. Often such medical conditions can often be picked up in the medical questionnaires if it is answered truthfully.

If we analyze death among the trainees, due to medical conditions while undergoing training, about 10 death out of 300,000 trainees (if memory do not fail me). This is become obvious the whole exercise of medical screening need a relook.

Death among the trainees should be prevented at all costs. It is traumatic to the trainees and family members when it’s occurred. Medical examination in the camp is not the best method to pick up the potential candidates. It is the answers they provide in the medical form that will provide the biggest clue, not a physical medical examination by the doctor in the camp.

Trainees must be truthful in answering the question in the health declaration form. They should not think the medical screening will pick up all the medical conditions. If they do so, I am afraid they may be more medical mishaps, despite the medical screening and is provide more ammunition for an outcry.

国民服务计划强制体检

根据国民服务训练计划总监的说法，现在强制每位国民服务计划學员体检，是为了避免受训过程发生医疗事故。这在逻辑上是不通的。

假设１４万名學员，分配在８７个营地，每个营地平均有１６００名學员。问题就在进行体检的效率，尤其是这项工作是由营地的医疗官负责。粗略草率的体检是无法查驗出受训學员的身体状況，因此体检的品质就是一个问题了。

包括意外和医疗不足在內的死亡事故有可能发生在大批學员身上，如今负责体检的营地医疗官是否做好準备应付和避免任何不幸事故发生？

答案是，恐怕是不太可能。通常这一类的体检只是在表格上做医疗选择题，而且预设的情况是人人都据实作答。

如果我们从學员死亡事故來分析，３０万名學员约有１０人因受训过程因医疗不足死亡（如果我沒记错），显然整个训练的医疗照顧都需要检讨了。

我们要不惜一切代价避免學员死亡，当不幸发生了对其他學员及家属都是伤害。营地执行体检不是挑出有病因学员的最佳方法，反之学员在体检表格上提供的答案是重要线索，而不是营地医生进行的体检。

學员必须据实填写健康申报表。他们不应以为医疗检查将能快速掌握自己的体格状況。如果他们真的这么想，尽管有了体检，但我担心会有更多医疗事故，并让反对者有更多反对的理由。