According to this news report, the government plans to increase the NS intake in 2014 to 150,000, an increase of 10,000 based on popular request; supposedly based on demand by young Malaysians.
There is another news report there will be mandatory pregnancy testing for female trainees based on the argument that there were six cases of women who gave birth during the 3-month program since it began in 2004.
Let us examine some numbers to check the financial justification for such an expenditure:
Since 2004, the NS program has been run for 10 years.
Let us assume that the average intake has been 100,000 per year intake and the boy/girl ratio on average has been 50/50 - this gives an average of 50,000 females each year.
Since 2004, a total of 500,000 females have completed NS and of these 6 have given birth at camp.
Suppose the cost per delivery and related costs is RM5000 - that gives a total of RM30,000.
Suppose a mass pregnancy test conducted at 1Malaysia clinic costs RM5 only?
This means to test 500,000 females will cost RM2,500,000.
How does the NS scheme justify such expenditure?
You spend at least RM2.5mil in order to prevent the cost of RM30,000?
It looks as if this government has no basic idea to rein in rising costs. Instead of increasing the intake by 10,000, it should simply fill up the spaces of those who have chosen not to go for NS as many claim it is just a waste of time anyway.
In fact those girls who delivered in camp should have been invited to return to camp and have one or two sessions to share their stories so that others could avoid their mistakes if it was an unwanted pregnancy.
I also recommend the NS Directors should go and attend basic Mathematics as they seem to propose measures with such illogical reasoning!
photo: thanks to scottthong.wordpress.com
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