Translated material
Sick - it means one
The Ministry of Defense rewrites medical norms: with mental disorders, syphilis and without ears - to the service
Photo: Cyril Kuhamar / TASS
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has prepared a draft resolution, which involves a revision of the suitable for military service in a number of diseases. The document was published back in February on the portal of draft regulatory legal acts and, according to lawyers and human rights activists, can significantly affect both military personnel and future draftees. In case of adoption, the changes will complicate the possibility of exemption from service for health reasons and undergoing medical examination.
The main changes in the list of diseases and categories of suitability:
- venereal diseases
The Ministry of Defense was proposed for the military liable for military service, who has syphilis (primary, secondary and hidden), change the category “limitedly suitable” to “suitable with minor restrictions”. Such changes can affect citizens who are only registered, and military personnel. Contractors with syphilis will be considered “suitable without restrictions”. It is also excluded that citizens with late and congenital syphilis were recognized as worthless to the service.
- Mental disorders
The ministry intends to differentiate endogenous mental illness - such as schizophrenia, delusional and schizotypic disorders - according to the degree of severity. With “pronounced” forms, a person will still be considered unfit. However, with “moderately expressed” disorders, contractors will have the opportunity to serve with the category “limitedly suitable”. In some cases, with this category, the conclusion of the contract is allowed even in the presence of “pronounced” personality disorders.
- Anatomical defects
Drawers without the auricle will now be recognized as “limitedly suitable”, while contractors with such a defect are planned to be considered “suitable with minor restrictions”. It is also proposed to take to the service with defects in the bones of the skull after surgery or injury.
- obesity
Earlier, overweight could become an obstacle to the service, but now they plan to clarify this issue taking into account the classification of the World Health Organization. In particular, the third stage of obesity with BMI (body mass index) will become more than 40 for recognizing a citizen indistinguishable to military service.
- bronchial asthma
According to the new requirements, people will be recognized as suitable for the service, if over the past five years they have not had asthma attacks, and a bronchial -proceeding test gave a negative result.
- Sarcoidosis (autoimmune disease of various organs and systems of the body)
The lung sarcoidosis will no longer be considered an obstacle to the service or admission to military schools.
- Celiac disease
Lawyers call a positive innovation the official inclusion of celiac disease (an autoimmune disease in which the body does not tolerate gluten) in the list of diseases releasing from the call. Previously, this diagnosis was not prescribed in regulatory acts, which created confusion.
The Kommersant newspaper, citing a source in the Ministry of Defense, writes that changes in the “Regulation on military medical examination” were developed “in order to improve the system of medical examination of military personnel, taking into account the experience of a special military operation”. They relate to the requirements for the health status of Russians who are subject to conscription for military service who want to conclude a contract with the RF Armed Forces or entering higher military educational institutions.
“Changes do not tighten the requirements, but expand the explanations in the articles of the schedule of diseases in order to simplify the approaches to different diseases, including the cured, which expands the possibilities for entering the service of those who previously could not be medical indications,”-
The newspaper quotes his interlocutor.
He does not agree with him in the movement of conscious refuseniks* . They believe that if the initiative is accepted, then this will significantly worsen the situation of military personnel and draftees in issues of medical examination.
As the human rights activist and lawyer Lev Karmanov noted, the main consequences from the offer of the Ministry of Defense are that military personnel and draftees will need more time to prepare medical documents and collect an anamnesis of the disease for the military enlistment office.
“As the Soviet joke says:“ Why do people not fly into space? “They are attached to clinics.” If before a sick person to prove his disease had to run pretty much, now he must also find the opportunity to lie in the hospital, go through a couple of additional tests, wait until they write down the correct degree of disease in accordance with the requirements of the provisions on military medical examination, ”Karmans believes.
Nevertheless, he clarified that the amendments will not have retroactive force:
Those who have already passed the medical board received a delay or military ID, will not call for a second examination. Only future draftees and those who plan to sign a contract will affect the changes.
Human rights activists do not exclude that changes can be accepted for the autumn appeal of 2025. Despite the fact that at the time of publication the project still did not pass the final approval, there is a possibility of its soon adoption - including within the framework of priority government initiatives.