[Plea for conversion of youth medical service to "school medical service"]

In many towns and communities, the work of the school and youth medical service is based almost exclusively on the performance of school entrance mass examinations. Even though among experts essential aspects of these examinations are increasingly criticised with regard to contents and method, they still require a considerable amount of skilled personnel. In the following article, two suggestions are made concerning a reform of the school and youth medical service: (1.) The early mass screening "U9" which at present is carried out by the local physicians will be expanded so that it corresponds to the same criteria as the present school entrance mass examination. The school and youth medical service then would only take action concerning those children who have not gone through the "U9" on the date set for enrollment in elementary school. (2.) The mass examinations are handed over completely to the established physicians within the scope of the "U9". For this purpose, the "U9" would have to be reorganized and modified. Both considerations aim at the abandonment of the school entrance medical mass examination. Objective of the described suggestions is to maintain the capacity in terms of time and personnel of the school and youth medical service for the tasks of health education, promotion and care which have been hardly taken into account up to the present. At the same time, this modification offers a chance to solve many of the current problems concerning content and method.