Military service would improve health of young Emiratis

Experts caution that all recruits should have a basic health standard and be screened for conditions.

ABU DHABI // Although health experts welcomed the move to require mandatory military service for young Emiratis, they said the Armed Forces should take into account any pre-existing conditions.

“Anyone who is recruited in the Armed Forces, whether temporary or permanent, should have the basic health standard to be able to do the exercises and training,” said Dr Tarek Abdul Hadi Abdul Azeem, a doctor in internal medicine at Al Noor Hospital.

“Sometimes, the training involves rigorous exercises so they have to be sure that their health meets minimum standards, like a good cardiovascular status, no previous cardiac diseases, like congenital heart disease, or chronic chest diseases as well as respiratory issues.”

Dr Azeem said a history of such problems “might contradict with” employment in the Armed Forces.

He said men with epilepsy, chronic mental disorders and physical or mental disabilities should not be recruited because they do not meet the minimum required physical and mental status.

Others say the UAE’s extreme weather conditions might have detrimental health implications on the newly recruited.

“In this region, a lot of the training is done in extreme weather conditions, particularly in a lot of heat, so many of the kids going into the training may not be exposed to that kind of environment,” said Dr Sabina Aidarous, a family medicine specialist at the Imperial Healthcare Institute in Dubai Healthcare City.

“Because our kids are quite protected with air conditioning nowadays, things like heat stroke and dehydration do come in, but that’s part of military training and they get advice on it.”

She said, however, that the training could help to tackle rising obesity in the country.

“In military training, you’re forced to have a good routine in terms of diet and exercise and these are habits that they’ll keep for the rest of their life, so it’s something we should welcome,” Dr Aidarous said.

Dr Faisal Akbar, a general practitioner at the Canadian Specialist Hospital, said the implications depended on each person’s health.

“If by the age of 18 they don’t have any medical disease, such as asthma, or any exaggeration of the symptoms due to dust or stress in the past, then there’s no harm,” he said. “If there is no health history, then it’s good for them to keep physically active.”

He said the training was not too hardcore.

“It’s just a basic training, from what I understand, so this is good,” Dr Akbar said. “Their stamina is good and they’re motivated at that age.”