Compulsory pregnancy test for female National Service trainees

All female trainees are required to undergo a compulsory pregnancy test before participating in the National Service Training Programme (PLKN), said National Service Training Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil. The mandatory testing was decided upon by the Cabinet on July 12 for the safety of the trainees, he told reporters after a working visit to PLKN Camp Geo Kosmo here today. He said the third group of the year, which started training two days ago, would be the first to undergo the test and anyone found expecting would be given a postponement. "The decision for the test was taken following discussions with the Defence Ministry and a study by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry," he said. The 2011 study involving 4,500 respondents comprising PLKN trainees and parents found that 94 percent of them agreed to the implementation of the test. According to the Defence Ministry, there have been six cases of trainees giving birth during the PLKN programme, since it was launched in 2004.