PARLIAMENT The Defence Ministry will not scrap the implementation of pregnancy test for female National Service Training Programme (PLKN) trainees.

Its minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the matter had already been studied in detail, including the sensitivity issue and privacy rights for the trainees.

He said the study carried by a special committee led by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry also revealed that many opined that the survival and safety of female trainees and the baby they might be carrying were more important than the privacy issue.

Hishammuddin said this in a written reply to Sim Tong Him (DAP-Kota Melaka)  who wanted to know whether the ministry had studied the negative impact from the implementation of the pregnancy test for the female PLKN trainees.

The decision to implement the test was made by the Cabinet in its meeting on July 12.

- Bernama