Check-ups begin for NS pre-enlistees under refreshed medical classification system

SINGAPORE – Seventy-three pre-enlistees who went for their national service (NS) medical check-ups on June 19 were the first to be assessed under a refreshed medical classification system.

The young men underwent medical screening at the Medical Classification Centre at Central Manpower Base, where they were informed that they would be classified under the refreshed system.

Under the refreshed system, which was announced in April, those enlisting from October 2027 will no longer be given a Physical Employment Standard (PES) status after their medical screening. Instead, they will be informed of specific medical exemptions, if any, based on their medical conditions and assessed functional abilities.

On June 19, pre-enlistees were given a brochure explaining how the refreshed system is “more precise and will better characterise your medical fitness”, and how it will impact those enlisting after October 2027.

There was also a reminder that safety remains a priority for all training and deployment in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and Home Team, with servicemen allowed to participate only in activities and vocations for which they are medically assessed to be suitable.

The notice also informed the pre-enlistees that their medical results would be released in about two months on the OneNS app, if no further medical reviews were required.

Among those undergoing their medical check-ups was Don Sze Yu Zhe, 17. While the Hwa Chong Institution junior college student has no medical conditions, he said others may benefit from the refreshed system.

These include people like his older brother, who injured his knee while doing judo. The injury led to him being given a lower PES status during his NS, limiting what he could do after enlisting.

Said Don: “Under the PES system, it was a one-size-fits-all. But the thing is that everyone has different levels of injuries or medical conditions.

“Under this refreshed system, it is more dynamic and caters to a wider range of individuals. It is not just that you are immediately ‘down PES-ed’ because you had an injury and can’t do a lot of things.”

Lieutenant-Colonel (Dr) Lim Jia Chen, commanding officer of the Medical Classification Centre, said that while there is a change to the way servicemen are graded, there is no change to the medical screening process under the refreshed classification system.

The screening involves a range of tests, including blood pressure measurements, an electrocardiogram, a chest X-ray and a hearing test.

Said Lim: “The screening process is very important because in the end, the safety of our classification all depends on how accurately we can pick up (the medical issues), and this… has stood the test of time.”

Hwa Chong Institution junior college student Don Sze Yu Zhe was among those undergoing their medical check-ups on June 19. — Hwa Chong Institution junior college student Don Sze Yu Zhe was among those undergoing medical check-ups on June 19.

ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY

To highlight the robustness of the medical screening process, he gave the example of the electrocardiogram, which records the electrical signals in the heart.

Through the test, abnormalities can be detected by medical officers, who will then send these pre-enlistees for further specialist investigations and consultations.

“We review these protocols very regularly, with both our in-house specialists as well as external specialist partners,” he said.

Lim said what has changed under the refreshed medical classification system is the process of mapping medical results to these different outcomes.

For example, under the PES system, a serviceman with mild hearing loss would be graded PES B2 and be ineligible for the standard obstacle course, which would also limit his vocation eligibility.

Should the serviceman be graded under the refreshed medical classification system, the condition would similarly be picked up during the audiometry test conducted as part of the pre-enlistment medical screening.

However, Lim explained that once certain underlying causes, such as a brain tumour, are ruled out, the serviceman could be classified under a basic military training programme that exempts him from certain training, like grenade throwing, but allows him to take part in the standard obstacle course.

This would open up the possibility of the serviceman taking on vocations that he would previously have been unable to pursue.

The refreshed system will enable about 1,200 servicemen annually to be deployed to vocations and roles that they would have previously been ineligible for, the ministries of defence and home affairs said previously.

Captain (Dr) Elijah Lim Gin, who is an SAF medical officer at the Medical Classification Centre, said grading under the PES system was largely based on the medical diagnoses of the individuals, with limited consideration for their actual functional status.

With the tests conducted during the medical screening process, including functional tests for selected individuals that can show recovery from previous injuries, the system can take into account a serviceman’s functional capabilities.

“The refreshed medical classification system will allow more servicemen to participate in roles that they are safely able to contribute to,” he added.

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