Germany reintroduces mandatory medical screening for young people from age 18 to determine their eligibility for military service
Compulsory medical examinations in Germany are coming after the Union and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) agreed to adopt the Defense Service when needed system, which stipulates that all young people from the age of 18 must undergo a medical examination to determine their eligibility for military service.
Although the project is still awaiting approval by the Bundestag, it’s clear that hundreds of thousands of people will undergo a comprehensive assessment of their physical and medical readiness in the coming period.
Between 1957 and 2011, a military medical examination was mandatory for every 18-year-old, who couldn’t be refused but only refused service, and those who failed to show up without an excuse were subject to fines.
Until the suspension of conscription in 2011, young people were invited to go to the country’s 52 recruitment offices, which in its last year numbered 52, and since then, only those who wish to volunteer have been screened at the army’s Karrierecenter.
The medical examination focuses on assessing the physical fitness of the taxpayers, and includes tests for hearing and vision, and an examination of the joints and posture.
Today, the Bundeswehr relies on the “Waist-to-Height-Ratio” (waist-circumference to height) rather than the old BMI. During the examination, the young man is asked to take off his clothes even his underwear to make sure there are no injuries or skin diseases.
One of the most well-known stages of the examination is the inguinal hernia screening test, in which the doctor places his fingers on the testicle or groin area, and then asks the person to cough.
A urine sample is also taken to check for chronic diseases such as diabetes, and is also used to conduct a drug test, along with inquiries about alcohol consumption, smoking and drugs.
The result of the examination ends with the determination of the medical assessment score, with category T1 indicating full readiness for service, while categories such as T4 temporarily invalid, and T5 always invalid are exempt from military service.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the percentage of those accepted for service reached about 90%, before declining after 2000 with the reduction of the length of service, reaching nearly 50% in its later years.
