When entering a military school, the state of their health and level of physical fitness often become a stumbling block for many applicants. Studies show that only 10 percent of the current pre-conscription youth can be considered fit to serve in the army without restrictions. Subject to passing through many medical commissions, through a sieve of professional selection tests, a young man can be enrolled in a military school. So, the most healthy youth of the nation is concentrated in military universities, as if a kind of standard of their physical condition. Over the course of four to five years of training, the future officer's body continues to form, his health improves, and his natural abilities develop. A graduate of a military school begins his service as a physically and mentally healthy person.

What happens to the health of a military man after twenty or twenty-five years, when his service ends? In the mass media, as a rule, little attention is paid to the issue of preserving the health of officers. They often talk about the physical and mental state of conscripts, the ability of young soldiers to adapt to the conditions of service and perform their official duties. It's an officer... He's supposed to be healthy as it is.

Many officers categorically claim that ninety percent of patients who have served up to the age limit are sick: "I took off my belt - I fell apart." However, they hide their "sores" and do not pass the military medical commission, wanting to get a job in firms, security structures. After all, an impeccable state of health is required there - patients are not needed. And how many desperate people have been among those who want to quit in recent years? Despite their illnesses, they developed unflattering characteristics and left with inconsistencies and discredits."

"It is not often that a dismissed officer receives a certificate of fitness for service without restrictions," says Colonel Vladimir Pavlov, who is engaged in officer dismissal in the Personnel Department of the Leningrad Military District. However, he does not have statistics, especially separate ones for career officers (and he also deals with conscripted officers). Because statistics are kept only for those dismissed for health reasons. It's not easy to figure out the numbers. The Military Medical Department of the district is responsible for those who serve or leave. And the real picture of the state of health of those who are dismissed is revealed in a year. After all, during this time, many people after being dismissed are engaged in registration of disability due to their illnesses. Military registration and enlistment offices are engaged in taking into account only those who can be assigned to any military units during their mobilization, and those who are unfit for service are removed from the register altogether. The garrison polyclinic provides medical services to those dismissed if they have served for at least 25 years, as well as military personnel with 20 years of service if they are dismissed due to age, health, or reduction. At the same time, those who have less seniority are generally out of the field of view of army medicine.

It turns out that the overall picture of the health status of officers who have completed their service is unclear. But one thing is certain: at least half of them have lost their health. And it is impossible to explain this only by age characteristics.

Agree, it is worth considering whether everything is being done to preserve the health of those who were recognized as absolutely healthy for service in the Armed Forces, and after twenty years with a probability of 50 percent becomes disabled or has significant health deviations from the norm. It is also worth evaluating what and how the soldier is compensated for the loss of his main and non-renewable wealth-health. To dismiss the propaganda slogans of the past that absolutely everything is being done to save the health of military personnel, let us recall the struggle of veterans of the so-called "special risk" units for their rights.

Forty years ago, former military personnel began to complain to various medical institutions about their state of health, explaining its deterioration and the diseases they acquired by serving with nuclear weapons, working on reactor maintenance. However, it was not customary to talk about the special conditions of service of these people earlier. Whether for reasons of secrecy, or because of an unwillingness to understand their problems, or because of a lack of medical knowledge in this matter... And although the atom appeared in service with the Soviet Army half a century ago, for many years there was no question of rehabilitating those who served next to it. It was only in December 1991 that the Chernobyl benefits were finally extended to those who were engaged in the assembly of nuclear charges and the disposal of nuclear waste, to participants in nuclear weapons tests, liquidators of radiation accidents at power plants of ships and other military facilities. Justice won. Unfortunately, not everyone was able to see her celebration - many simply did not live to see them recognized as victims due to the fault of the state.

In our country, the security level of military service is traditionally low. Officers of the Leningrad Military District served as part of a multinational force in the former Yugoslavia. Once a Swedish tank was hit by a mine, and the entire crew was killed. It was necessary to pull out the dead from the minefield, the car. On this occasion, a council of sapper specialists from all countries that are part of the compound gathered. According to American estimates, it took at least two days to clear the passageways and ensure the safety of work. After all, there were not only anti-tank mines on the field, but also anti-personnel mines and other "surprises". The Americans were supported by Finns, Norwegians, and the British. When the situation was assessed by the sappers of the Russian brigade, they stated that they would need three hours to prepare escape routes. Which they did. You can, of course, admire the courage and skill of our soldiers and officers. But even in other armies, they are well prepared for such work, and often have the best equipment and equipment. However, they are guided by completely different approaches to ensuring the safety of their military personnel during both combat operations and all kinds of work.

Not in favor of our army are examples of its comparison with foreign ones in terms of living conditions, comfort and ergonomics of military equipment, and the mode of service, and medical support... And after all, not only by international standards, but even by the standards of domestic legislation, the requirements for the security of military service are significantly underestimated. The Labor Code of the Russian Federation and other regulations on labor protection do not apply to military personnel. Allegedly, the specifics of their activities do not allow us to solve issues of ensuring their safety within the framework of the labor protection system.

Currently, a "Plan of state measures to improve the systems, measures and bodies for ensuring the security of military service" has been drawn up. It provides for the approximation of the legislation and regulations on ensuring the safety of military service to the basics of the legislation of the Russian Federation on labor protection. In the meantime, the Armed Forces are guided by general military regulations, as well as hundreds of departmental instructions. Since the level of security of the service is still not as we would like, in 1996 the Armed Forces established full-time security agencies of the military service.

Health protection of officers, as well as all military personnel, is ensured by creating favorable conditions for military service, everyday life and a system of measures to limit dangerous factors. But I would like to draw your attention to two things. To constantly monitor the health of military personnel and take measures to restore it after deterioration during the performance of their official duties.

In the military medical department of the Leningrad Military District, when preparing this material, I asked medical officers about how often they themselves were fully and objectively examined for their health status. So, for 20-25 years, this has happened to them - it has happened-while serving in various districts and groups of troops five or six times. This happened, as a rule, when entering the academy, when applying to a sanatorium or in hospitals where they had to be as patients. This is, in fact, an assessment of the coverage and quality of medical examinations of officers by specialists. And it's not a matter of a separate district. People in Russia have taken root in a careless attitude to their health. Yes, and the state is reluctant to recognize its responsibility to the military - so you can avoid unnecessary expenses.

- The officers themselves are not interested in passing an in-depth examination,-says the head of the military medical department of the Leningrad Military District, Colonel of the medical service Nikolai Sokolovsky, shares his long-term observations. "Over time, they become convinced of its uselessness. What can the doctor do based on its results? Recommend streamlining the work and rest regime, observing the diet, conducting spa treatment during the holiday period, and quitting smoking...

Is it still possible to find out what the real state of health of the officers is? According to Colonel Sokolovsky of the medical service, doctors are able to do this. All that is needed is appropriate administrative arrangements. For example, you can conduct an inpatient examination of officers rather than an outpatient one. This will not require additional expenses - meals are provided at their own expense, and doctors will be able to work more calmly and methodically rather than in emergency mode, when many parts are checked at the same time. You can then "scroll" a person from all sides in terms of diagnostics. It is absolutely necessary to do an examination in a hospital before being appointed to a position, when signing a contract. By the way, a formal examination of a person who wants to enter the service under a contract can also result in financial losses for the state. The patient was recognized as healthy, and after six months he is dismissed as having received an illness in the army...

So, let's say an officer has health problems. The Federal Law "On the Status of Military Personnel" refers to the right of military personnel to free medical care. And it turns out, as a rule, to be of high quality. Military medics make up a significant part of the Russian healthcare system: 10 percent of Russia's medical research potential is made up of people in uniform. Indicators of the general morbidity of military personnel are stable - 2-3 times lower than among the rest of the country's population. This alone shows that the potential of army medicine is really high. At the same time, it should be taken into account that the healthiest part of the nation serves in the army during the most active period of its life. Therefore, people in uniform need not so much treatment as disease prevention and rehabilitation measures. It would be useful to remind you that a ruble invested in the prevention of diseases gives, according to some estimates, 7 rubles of savings due to the exclusion of labor losses and subsequent funds spent on treatment.

The experience of restoring the health of a specific category of military cosmonauts is interesting. Entire research centers are engaged in their rehabilitation. The first cosmonauts, returning from long flights, as you know, could not even stand on their feet - so atrophied were the muscles. Now training complexes have been created at the orbital stations, and a system of measures to restore health after returning to Earth is provided. But after all, other military personnel also need rehabilitation, especially after being in extreme conditions - in combat areas, on combat duty. When preparing a new version of the Law "On the Status of Military Personnel", the Main Military Prosecutor's Office and the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy proposed to introduce a separate article: "For certain categories of military personnel from among the floating and flight personnel, as well as some other specialists, after they perform tasks that adversely affect their health (work, exercises), medical rehabilitation is carried out, preventive rest is organized in sanatoriums, homes, and recreation centers." But this proposal was not reflected in the Law. Apparently, the legislators considered it sufficient that military personnel undergoing military service under a contract and their family members have the right to be provided with sanatorium-resort treatment every year during their vacation and to purchase vouchers to rest homes, boarding houses, and tourist bases of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

In fact, a serviceman is given the right to decide for himself how to spend his vacation: whether to go to a sanatorium, rest home, or organize a vacation at his own discretion. But this right may not always be used. Colonel Alexander Kostin, Deputy Head of the Health Resort Department of the GVMU of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, noted that after the division of property of the former Soviet Army, today it is possible to provide health recreation only to 7-10 percent of the total number of those entitled to sanatorium treatment in the military department. In addition, despite its cheapness in comparison with rest and treatment in similar civilian institutions, the military does not have the means to purchase vouchers due to chronic non-payment of cash allowances. After all, despite the fact that the officer pays a quarter of the cost of a trip, and family members only half, with its pre-crisis price of 1.2-2.5 thousand rubles, it is not easy to find even this money. And "sanatorium-resort" simply do not pay. And military transport documents for travel to the place of treatment are not always valid.

On the fourth anniversary of the start of the campaign to restore constitutional order in Chechnya, it was reported that 1,400 people there were seriously injured during the fighting. Only 300 of them received the necessary qualified medical care and neurorehabilitation. After a serious injury, military personnel are treated in the hospital only at first. So it turns out that the need for rest is obvious and the right to health treatment is available, and there is also a place where you can relax. And a full recovery from year to year does not work. Due to lack of funding. Because rest is still a benefit that not everyone can get. And for the same cosmonauts, by the way, rest is the continuation of service. There's a lot to think about here. Perhaps it is necessary to conduct hospital rehabilitation treatment of those serving in extreme conditions, and after a medical examination in accordance with the conclusion of the military medical commission, send them to sanatoriums for 10-12 days free of charge? This approach will comply with the current legislation.

There is also a need to think about expanding (paradoxically) the sanatorium-resort base of the Armed Forces. After all, when there are funds to pay for vouchers and travel expenses, there simply won't be enough places in sanatoriums and rest homes for everyone. In addition, Len VO lost his sanatorium, which was once built in Yalta.

Among the officers who passed the 9th military medical commission last year, 23.9 percent were found to be partially fit and unfit for service due to diseases of the nervous system, 19.6 percent due to coronary heart disease, 12.1 percent due to hypertension, 6.4 percent due to peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum 12. Among other diseases, various organ diseases predominate digestion. This is most likely evidence of service overloads, and not just of insufficient quality and timely nutrition. So it is not so much medical care that will help preserve the health of the army personnel, but rather the order of official activities, an established life in military camps, high-quality and full-fledged rest for military personnel, the completeness of bringing in the norms of allowances and money, compliance with all the rights of military personnel, timely rehabilitation of those serving in extreme conditions, participating in disasters.

Scientific and technological progress and the equipping of troops with new equipment and weapons in recent decades have dramatically increased the burden on officers. During the reform period, due to insufficient staffing of the troops, the burden on commanders increased even more. This was also influenced by the socio-economic situation in the country, new tasks in hot spots. Unfortunately, nothing significant was provided to compensate for the increased workload on military personnel.

Today, with the transition of the army to contract recruitment, there are significantly more professionals. Can military medicine and health resorts handle their services ? Is this factor taken into account when reforming the Armed Forces ? And will more attention be drawn to the health of a career serviceman? All these issues need to be addressed immediately.

Permanent link to this publication: