Written Reply by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen to Parliamentary Question on Pre-Enlistees Exempted from National Service on Grounds of Mental Health Disorder

Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Defence (a) in each year since 2010, how many National Service (NS) pre-enlistees have been exempted from NS because of mental health disorders; (b) how many of such individuals voluntarily choose to serve NS despite their exemption; (c) of these individuals, how many subsequently completed NS; and (d) how does the Ministry verify that pre-enlistees who have been diagnosed with mental health disorders by private doctors are indeed unfit to serve NS.

Dr Ng Eng Hen: Since 2010, about 650 individuals on average (or around 2.7% of pre-enlistees) have been exempted from National Service (NS) each year due to severe mental health conditions. These individuals are exempted from NS to ensure their safety and those around them and therefore are not suitable as volunteers.

The assessment of mental health conditions, and exemptions where medically warranted, are performed by SAF medical doctors, based on guidelines developed in consultation with senior psychiatrists from our public healthcare institutions who serve on the SAF’s Psychiatry Specialist Advisory Board.  Inputs from the pre-enlistees’ treating physicians, which may include private sector doctors, are included for these assessments.