ST.PETERSBURG. Jan 9 (Interfax-AVN) - A series of rehabilitation measures developed by doctors of the Leningrad military district makes it possible to muster nearly all draftees lacking weight.
"In the past five years, 20 percent of draftees has had insufficient weight," a source in the 442nd district military hospital told Interfax-Military News Agency on Thursday.
Some 65 percent of draftees had insufficient alimentation before joining the army, and that is why they get additional alimentation amounting to 50 percent of the day ration. All the draftees are observed by doctors, and if they do gain enough weight within three months, they are prescribed additional alimentation for another three months or sent to hospital for thorough examination.
"Young servicemen whose weight index is lower than 18.5% are sent to hospital for rehabilitation at once. The core of the rehabilitation course is extra alimentation, vitamins and kinesiatrics. If the weight does not change within a certain period of time, the hospital recommend continuation of the rehabilitation course in military sanatoriums of the Leningrad military district," the source said.
The measures taken by the district enable its medical service to muster up to 97% of draftees with insufficient weight.
"In one year alone, over 150 servicemen with insufficient weight took the rehabilitation course in the Priozernoye and Tarkhovskoye military sanatoriums. At the same time, the problem concerns not only the Defense Ministry but the entire society, primarily state governing bodies in Russian regions which are responsible for the draft. They are the ones that must register ill teenagers through medical installations and send them for medical treatment in sanatoriums and other medical facilities," the source noted.
He stressed that after last year's autumn draft 35 people with insufficient weight were put in the Priozernoye sanatorium and 28 in the Tarkhovskoye sanatorium.
"Thanks to measures taken by the district's medical service led by Colonel Nikolai Sokolovsky, the share of diseases has declined considerably among this category of servicemen. In particular, a set of preventive measures helped reduce the number of people going down with pneumonia three times, especially in training units," the source stressed.
The measures are being taken to implement an order of the district's commander Colonel General Valentin Bobryshev on the rehabilitation of draftees with insufficient weight.