Screening NS enlistees for Allergies

Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for Defence (a) whether National Service enlistees are screened medically for specific allergies especially to substances that they may be exposed to during their military training; and (b) if not, whether there are plans to do so.

The Minister of State for Defence (Mr Lawrence Wong) (for the Minister for Defence): Mr Speaker, Sir, all National Servicemen undergo compulsory and detailed medical screening by the SAF before their enlistment. When a medical condition is declared or detected, the SAF will conduct follow-up medical assessment to determine the suitability of the pre-enlistee for NS training.

As part of this medical screening, pre-enlistees are specifically asked whether they have any previously known or suspected allergies. The SAF medical officer will then conduct a more detailed clinical assessment of any allergy reported. Depending on the outcome of the clinical assessment, the pre-enlistee could be referred to a specialist doctor to confirm the diagnosis and to determine the underlying substance causing the allergic reaction. The result of the screening will be factored in the deployment and employment of the serviceman. Similarly, if a serviceman reports that he has an allergy during his National Service, his case will be assessed using the same procedures.

As the Minister has highlighted in his earlier reply, the SAF's medical screening protocols are developed and reviewed on a regular basis in consultation with leading medical specialists from the public and private sectors. Likewise, our approach to allergy testing is in line with established national and international clinical practice guidelines. We will continue to monitor these guidelines, and as these guidelines change, we will also adjust our protocols to enhance the robustness of our medical screening.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: Sir, let me thank the Minister of State for his answer. Yes, certainly, I believe that the SAF will await the medical review to see whether allergen testing is required. But may I ask the Minister of State that, in short, his answer is "no", which means that there is no allergy testing at all done in MINDEF currently, unless the serviceman gives an answer that he has an allergy? The problem now is that a lot of allergy may go undetected. Since SAF already knows what your SAF men are being exposed to, there is a lot of range of antigens, and antigen testing now is possible, I would like to urge the SAF to reconsider to ask the medical community within MINDEF to review this seriously and to see whether can they introduce an allergy test for all NS men.

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Mr Lawrence Wong: I thank the Member for the supplementary question. The first part of the clarification is, indeed the current medical guidelines do not recommend routine allergy testing in individuals who do not show any symptom of allergy. We go through a process which I have elaborated earlier. As to the question of whether this system is robust enough today and can be reviewed, I think we are reviewing, as I mentioned, on a regular basis. There is also the COI which is ongoing, and if there are observations made within the COI pertaining to this particular aspect, certainly we will improve our system.

Mr Speaker: Ms Irene Ng, last question.

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong: Sir, given that there are some soldiers who suffer from asthma but they may not have the symptoms at the period of time or even for several years, can MINDEF explore improving its diagnostic tools and implementing some tolerance tests for lungs so that they are properly assessed before they are sent out for combat training which involves exposure to dust and smoke and allergens?

Mr Lawrence Wong: I thank the Member for the supplementary question. I understand where she is coming from and the concerns that she is highlighting on behalf of the soldiers, especially if they were to develop some medical symptoms along the way. I think there are processes in place where if the National Serviceman is to develop something, finds difficulties through the course of his training, there are processes where he can approach his commander and get appropriate medical attention at the medical centre. We do have avenues and platforms for the National Serviceman to approach the commander to go to the medical centre and to get attention, and if indeed something has developed in the course of the training which may not have been identified earlier, then the National Serviceman will be redeployed, will be put to another appropriate level of training, the training will be adjusted according to his medical condition. So, we are aware of these concerns.

We will continuously make sure that the system that we have is adequate, is robust and will ensure the safety of our national servicemen during training. As we have highlighted, it is a very serious matter, we take the issue very seriously. We will continuously fine-tune our protocols and guidelines not just for screening but also for medical treatment of servicemen through the course of their training, whether they are in schools or whether they are in the units. And we will continue to fine-tune these guidelines and procedures in consultation with leading medical specialists both in the private and in the public sectors.