In recent years, Russia has been troubled by difficulties in recruiting soldiers. Some youth intentionally evade military service, but health problems are also contributing factors. And Russian military data shows that more than half of applicants have health problems, with one third deemed not suited for service。

　　To guarantee the quality of future soldiers, Russia plans to set up electronic records for all males, starting at 10 years old, to comprehensively monitor their health status。

　　Citing Tamara Faltseva, deputy director of the cadre management bureau with the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Novy Vzglyad newspaper reported Friday that the plan, if proven effective, will be expanded to newborns in the future. As part of a pre-service draft training scheme before 2020, the plan, scheduled to take effect Saturday, will replace previous registration documents in all sectors, and further apply to the whole country by 2013-15.

　　Under the plan, the Russian military department asks all boys aged above 10 to get an annual checkup at military service bureaus, and then electronic cards record their conditions to monitor their physical and mental health。

　　At present, physical checkups for military service begin for youths at age 16, two years ahead of the draft age。

　　The health monitoring from 10 years old will help better understand the teenagers' physical status and solve potential problems that may otherwise emerge until their recruitment。

　　近年来，俄罗斯一直存在着征兵难问题。除了部分青年人逃避兵役外，健康问题也是一个主要原因。据俄军有关资料显示，目前近半数应征入伍者存在健康问题，1/3应征入伍者不适合服兵役。为保障未来兵源质量，俄政府计划为年满10岁的男孩建立电子登记卡，对他们的健康状况实施全面监控。

　　据俄罗斯《观点报》19日报道，俄国防部干部管理总局副局长塔马拉•法利采娃表示，如果这一计划试验有效，未来将推广到刚刚出生的男婴。她说，此举是俄联邦政府制定的2020年前培训应征入伍者计划的一部分，该计划文件于今年2月20日正式生效，将取代以前兵役部门所有相关的登记材料，并计划于 2013－2015年推广至全国。

　　根据此计划，俄军方每年将对这些孩子身体和精神健康状况进行监测。即每名年满10岁的男孩每年都要到兵役局接受体检，并将体检状况存入电子登记卡。而目前，俄兵役局对青少年进行体检从16岁开始，即达到入伍年龄前2年才开始实施。而从10岁开始跟踪体检，有助于更详细了解年轻人身体状况，解决征兵时出现的问题。(作者柳玉鹏)